'Encouraging signs' towards Gaza ceasefire: Antony Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday he saw "encouraging signs" of progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza, urging Turkey to use its influence to encourage Hamas to accept.

His remarks came after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the second leg of his Syria crisis tour following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

"We discussed Gaza, and we discussed I think the opportunity... to get a ceasefire in place. And what we've seen in the last couple of weeks are more encouraging signs that that is possible," Blinken told reporters in Ankara.


"We talked about the imperative of Hamas saying 'yes' to the agreement that's possible, to finally help bring this to an end," he said. "And we appreciate very much the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas to try to bring this to conclusion," added Blinken.

Blinken also discussed efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire when he arrived in Jordan on Thursday on what was his 12th visit to the Middle East since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.