Gaza Strip Bombing 2012: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Heads to Israel to Assist in Peace Deal as Death Toll Rises

As the current exchange of rockets between Israel and the Gaza Strip heads into its second week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is cutting short her Asia trip with President Obama to head to the Middle East to join peace talks, already in progress.

Nearly 70 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday morning, one falling just short of Jerusalem. The Israeli Defense Force retaliated, firing into heavy-populated areas of the Gaza Strip, hitting an apartment building and a hospital.

The death toll has now climbed to about 112 people, nearly all Palestinians, half of whom were civilians, including children. Nearly a thousand people have been injured on both sides of the conflict.

Clinton flew out of Cambodia on Tuesday and headed to Jerusalem, where she will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been particularly aggressive in is dealings with the Palestinians during his tenure in office.

Then Clinton will head to Ramallah, in the West Bank, to meet with Palestinian leaders. U.S. officials were very clear that she will not be meeting with any members of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has been elected to govern the Gaza Strip.

The United States lists Hamas as a terrorist organization, because of its refusal to denounce terror tactics or recognize Israel's right to exist. But negotiations with Gaza are impossible without some intermediary working with Hamas.

So Clinton will then travel to Egypt, which is hosting peace talks between Hamas and Israel. Turkey, Qatar and other interested Middle Eastern states are also present.

Participants in the peace negotiations are optimistic, and Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi said he believes an agreement is imminent.

That's good news, because the next step for the Israeli military is a ground invasion of Gaza, an outcome that would put many more Israelis and Palestinians in harm's way. A ground offensive is also unpopular with countries allied with both sides of the engagement, as well as the Israeli electorate, 70 percent of which opposes an invasion.