Blinken wraps up Mideast tour without a cease-fire, warning 'time is of the essence'

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00:00After holding meetings with fellow mediators in Egypt and Qatar,

00:05Antony Blinken left the Middle East with a ceasefire deal between Israel and

00:10Hamas still elusive. Time is of the essence. This needs to get done and it

00:16needs to get done in the days ahead and we will do everything possible to get it

00:20across the finish line. The US Secretary of State said Israel had accepted a

00:25proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group expressing hope Hamas

00:29would now quote get on board. Details of the so-called bridging proposal are

00:34scarce but Blinken said it was very clear on the schedule and locations of

00:38Israeli army withdrawals from Gaza. Back in Israel on Tuesday the military said

00:44it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the Strip

00:48after an overnight raid. Israeli officials had already announced the

00:52deaths of five of the hostages in captivity between early June and late

00:56July. These fallen hostages who are now in Israel will be laid to rest but they've

01:02also been examined forensically. We will be able to conduct a quick investigation

01:06determine the facts and provide first findings to families and communities. The

01:11return of the bodies leaves more than a hundred hostages still believed to be

01:15held in Gaza about a third of whom are thought to be dead.

01:18Meanwhile the IDF continued its bombardment of the territory Tuesday.

01:23Gaza health authorities said dozens of people were killed including at least

01:2810 who were sheltering inside a school in Gaza City.

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