US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the talks on the Gaza Strip may be the last chance to reach a truce and return the detainees.

Blinken, who met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv this morning, explained that the talks are going through a critical moment, calling on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel not to derail the negotiation efforts, he said.

"It is time to make sure that no one takes steps that would derail the possibility of reaching a deal," he added.

The US Secretary of State said that Washington is also working to ensure that there is no escalation in the region amid fears of a possible Iranian attack on Israel, in response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

"We are trying to make sure that there is no escalation that would take us away from completing the exchange deal or expand the conflict to other places and increase its intensity," Blinken said.

The US Secretary of State began a visit to Israel as part of US efforts to push forward a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.

On his ninth trip to the region since October 7, Blinken will meet with Israeli leaders, and he has not announced any other stops on his trip, unlike his previous visits that included meetings with leaders in a number of Arab countries in the region.

The trip comes two days after talks in Doha on a ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners and detainees. Qatar, Egypt and the United States - which is supervising the mediation in the talks - announced that the United States had presented a new proposal that "reduces the gaps" between Hamas and Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies