Blinken ends latest Mideast visit without a cease-fire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a ceasefire deal warning on Tuesday that time is of the essence even as Hamas and Israel signalled that challenges remain After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementationOur message is simple Its clear and its urgent he told reporters before leaving Qatar We need to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement over the finish line and we need to do it now Time is of the essence There has been added urgency to reach a deal after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon both attributed to Israel and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional warFew details have been released about the socalled bridging proposal put forth by the US Egypt and Qatar Blinken said it is very clear on the schedule and the locations of Israeli military withdrawals from Gaza Hamas earlier Tuesday called the latest proposal a reversal of what it had agreed to accusing the US of acquiescing to new conditions from Israel There was no immediate US response to thatIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile met with rightwing groups of families of fallen soldiers and hostages in Gaza The groups which oppose a ceasefire deal said Netanyahu told them Israel will not abandon two strategic corridors in Gaza whose control has been an obstacle in the talks Netanyahus office did not comment on their accountA senior US official rejected as totally untrue that Netanyahu had told Blinken that Israel would never leave the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors Such statements are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line the official said speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Blinkens private diplomatic talksBlinkens meetings in Egypt which borders Gaza and in Qatar which hosts some Hamas leaders in exile came a day after he met Netanyahu Wide gaps appeared to remain between Israel and Hamas though angry statements often serve as pressure tactics during negotiations Netanyahus meeting with the families came as Israels military said it recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamas October 7 attack that started the war bringing fresh grief for many Israelis who have long pressed Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire that would bring remaining hostages homeNew protests were held Tuesday The longer theyre there the more body bags we get said one protester Adi Israeli in Tel Aviv Israels military said it recovered the six bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza saying they were killed when troops were operating in Khan Younis Hamas says some captives have been killed in Israeli airstrikes though returning hostages have talked about difficult conditions including lack of food or medicationsThe recovery of the remains also is a blow to Hamas which hopes to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners an Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire The military said it had identified the remains of Chaim Perry 80 Yoram Metzger 80 Avraham Munder 79 Alexander Dancyg 76 Nadav Popplewell 51 and Yagev Buchshtav 35Kibbutz Nir Oz the farming community where Munder was among around 80 residents seized said he died after months of physical and mental torture Israeli authorities previously determined the other five were dead Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured during the October 7 attacks when militants killed some 1200 people mostly civilians Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead Over 100 other hostages were released during last years ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in IsraelIsraels retaliatory offensive has killed over 40000 Palestinians according to Gazas Health Ministry which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count The war has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gazas 23 million residents to flee their homes often multiple timesAn Israeli airstrike Tuesday killed at least 12 people at a schoolturnedshelter in Gaza City The Palestinian Civil Defense first responders operating under the Hamasrun government said around 700 people had been sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez school Israels military said the strike targeted Hamas militants who had set up a command center there We dont know where to go or where to shelter our children said Um Khalil Abu Agwa a displaced womanAn Israeli airstrike in Deir alBalah hit people walking down the street and seven were killed including a woman and two children according to an Associated Press journalist who counted the bodies Another airstrike in central Gaza killed five children and their mother according to AlAqsa Martyrs Hospital where an AP journalist counted the bodiesPalestinians displaced by recent Israeli evacuation orders crowded into already teeming areas One child in Deir alBalah slept on cardboard as insects flew around his face Are they going to dig the ground and dump us there or put us on a boat and throw us in the sea I dont know said one man Abu Shady AfanaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever