Nov. 19, 2012: Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers traded fire and tough cease-fire proposals, and threatened to escalate their border conflict if diplomacy fails, but no deal appeared near. An Israeli airstrike targeting a Gaza media center killed a senior militant and engulfed the building in flames, while Gaza fighters fired 95 rockets at Israel, nearly one-third of them intercepted by an Israeli missile shield. A total of 38 Palestinians were killed, bringing the death toll since the start of Israel’s offensive to 111, including 56 civilians. Egypt was at the center of a flurry of diplomatic activity as Egyptian intelligence officials met separately in Cairo with an Israeli envoy and with Khaled Mashaal, the top Hamas leader in exile. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo and was to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday. Also, President Barack Obama called Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the ongoing violence in the Middle East. The White House said Obama also expressed regret for the deaths of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in his calls with both leaders Nov. 20, 2012: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rushes to Jerusalem from Cambodia for a late-night meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where she calls for a “durable outcome.” Netanyahu said that he preferred a diplomatic solution to the conflict between his country and Hamas militants, but also said that Israel would “take whatever action is necessary to protect its people.” There were mixed reports of a truce announcement throughout the day. Earlier Tuesday, an unnamed adviser to Egyptian President Morsi told CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward he believed some agreement would be reached Tuesday evening, but it never came. Another spokesperson for Morsi later said the delay was due to an Israeli request to postpone the announcement until Wednesday. A source close to Hamas said Israel wants Hamas to stop rocket fire for an initial 24 hours, and then the Jewish state would theoretically meet some of the militant group’s demands. But Israel is wary of Hamas’ key demand — uplifting a blockade — because it fears an influx of weapons into the hands of militants. A Palestinian rocket hit a house in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, wounding two people and badly damaging the top two floors of the building. In a separate attack in the south, and Israeli soldier and civilian contractor were killed. An Israeli airstrike late in the day killed two journalists who work for the Hamas TV station, Al-Aqsa, according to a statement from the channel. CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata reported from Gaza that militants shot dead six Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. One body was dragged through the street as people cheered. D’Agata also reported that Israel dropped leaflets onto neighborhoods warning civilians to leave ahead of a strike, but Hamas called it “psychological warfare” and urged residents not to leave. Of the 135 Palestinians killed so far, Gaza health officials said 54 were civilians. Some 840 people have been wounded, including 225 children, in the Israeli air onslaught that has so far included nearly 1,500 strikes. Nov. 21, 2012: Israel and the Hamas militant group agreed to a cease-fire Wednesday to end eight days of the fiercest fighting in nearly four years, promising to halt attacks on each other and ease an Israeli blockade constricting the Gaza Strip. The deal was brokered by the new Islamist government of Egypt. Under the agreement, Egypt will play a key role in maintaining the peace. In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the deal, saying he had agreed after consulting with President Barack Obama. The White House said that President Obama praised Netanyahu for agreeing to the Egyptian cease-fire plan “while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself.” It also said the United States will use the opportunity offered by a ceasefire to intensify efforts to help Israel address its security needs, especially the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza. According to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press, Israel and all Palestinian militant groups agreed to halt “all hostilities.” For the Palestinians, that means an end to Israeli airstrikes and assassinations of wanted militants. For Israel, it brings a halt to rocket fire and attempts at cross-border incursions from Gaza. The announcement comes hours after a bomb exploded aboard an Israeli bus near the nation’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding 27 people. The blast, which left the bus charred and its windows blown out, was the first bombing in Tel Aviv since 2006. It appeared aimed at sparking Israeli fears of a return to the violence of the Palestinian uprising last decade, which killed more than 1,000 Israelis in bombings and shooting attacks and left more than 5,000 Palestinians dead as well. The relentless bombing of Gaza overnight completely destroyed the Hamas interior ministry. One of the strikes, at 2 a.m. local time, blew the windows out of CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata’s hotel room. He writes here about the challenges of covering this conflict from inside Gaza.