Blinken says there is no time to waste in reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in Qatar, the latest stop in a Middle East tour aimed at securing a Gaza truce. Blinken said there was no time to waste to reach a ceasefire deal, adding that the United States, Egypt and Qatar will do everything possible to get Hamas on board with proposals to overcome disagreements blocking a deal. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
The Israeli army said it retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza's southern district of Khan Younis in a joint operation with internal security agency Shin Bet.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Egypt to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty before travelling to Qatar on his latest bid to secure a Gaza truce deal.
At least 40,173 Palestinians have been killed and 92,852 wounded in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
