JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a cease-fire deal, warning Tuesday that “time is of the essence†even as Hamas and Israel suggested challenges remain.
After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Blinken said that because Israel 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 implementation.
“Our message is simple. It’s clear and it’s urgent,†he told reporters before leaving Qatar. “We need to get a cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence.â€
There is 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 sparked fears of a wider regional war.
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Few details were released about the so-called bridging proposal put forth by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Blinken said it is “very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza.â€
Hamas earlier Tuesday called the latest proposal a reversal of what it agreed to, accusing the U.S. of acquiescing to new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate U.S. response to that.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, met with right-wing groups of families of fallen soldiers and hostages in Gaza. The groups, which oppose a cease-fire deal, said Netanyahu told them Israel will not abandon two strategic corridors in Gaza whose control by Israel has been an obstacle in the talks. Netanyahu’s office did not comment on their account.
A senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity rejected as “totally untrue†Netanyahu’s alleged comments that he told Blinken that Israel would never leave the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors.
Netanyahu’s meeting with the families came as Israel’s military said it recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, bringing fresh grief for many Israelis who have long pressed Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire that would bring remaining hostages home. New protests were held Tuesday.
Blinken’s meetings in Egypt, which borders Gaza, and in Qatar, which hosts some Hamas leaders in exile, come a day after he met Netanyahu and said the prime minister accepted a U.S. proposal to bridge gaps separating Israel and Hamas. Blinken called on Hamas to do the same. Officials did not release details of the bridging proposal.
There appear to be wide gaps between the two sides, though angry statements often serve as pressure tactics during negotiations.
Israel’s military said its forces recovered the six bodies of hostages in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, saying they were killed during a time that troops were operating in Khan Younis.
Hamas says some captives were killed in Israeli airstrikes, though returning hostages also talked about difficult conditions in captivity, including lack of food or medications.
The recovery of the remains is also a blow to Hamas, which hopes to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal and a lasting cease-fire.
There were no reports of casualties among Israelis or Palestinians in the recovery operation.
Hamas is still believed to be holding about 110 hostages. Israeli authorities estimate about a third are dead.
The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. The fighting killed about 1,200 people and militants took about 250 hostages. More than 100 of them were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
The air and ground offensive caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times. Aid groups fear the outbreak of diseases like polio.
An Israeli airstrike Tuesday killed at least 12 people at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government, said about 700 people were sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez school. Israel’s military claimed the strike targeted Hamas militants who set up a command center there.
“We don’t know where to go … or where to shelter our children,†said Um Khalil Abu Agwa, a displaced woman there.
An Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah 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. More than 20 others were wounded.
Another airstrike in central Gaza killed five children and their mother, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where an AP journalist counted the bodies.