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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began crucial talks with senior officials in Israel on Monday to push for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for hostages, calling it “perhaps the last opportunity” to end fighting and avoid escalation in the region.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken called the current moment “decisive” and “probably the best, perhaps the last, opportunity to bring the hostages home, achieve a ceasefire, and put everyone on a better path to lasting peace and security.”

Later in the day, Blinken was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant.

Blinken’s arrival in Israel comes three days after the United States, Qatar and Egypt put forward a proposal at talks in Doha aimed at bridging differences between Israel and Hamas and concluding a three-stage deal that would end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages.

The US Secretary of State’s latest visit to the region, his ninth since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, comes ahead of another summit later this week in Cairo.

While Israeli government officials and others briefed on the talks expressed “cautious optimism” over the weekend, both Netanyahu and Hamas appeared to reiterate their respective positions on Sunday.

Hamas accused Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the agreement and said the proposal presented by mediators in Doha contained changes that took into account Israel’s demands but not those of Hamas and “did not allow for an agreement”.

Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted in recent weeks that Israel will not withdraw from the border region between Gaza and Egypt, the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, and has made other demands.

A draft presented by US President Joe Biden at the end of May, which was initially approved by Israel, envisaged the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the populated areas of Gaza in the first phase of the agreement and a complete withdrawal in the second phase.

“We are in negotiations, not a scenario where we just give and give,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “There are things we can be flexible on, and there are things we cannot be flexible on, and we will insist on them. We know very well how to distinguish between the two.”

The long-time prime minister later attacked the so-called “serial leakers” after Israeli media reported that his position had put him at odds with the Israeli negotiating team and security chiefs who support the proposed deal.

With relations increasingly strained at the top of the Israeli government, Blinken appeared to indirectly reference Netanyahu on Monday when he said: “It’s time for everyone to come to a yes and not look for excuses to say no.”

Blinken also pointed to the massive US troop buildup in the region in recent weeks after Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah threatened retaliation against Israel for the killing of two senior militants late last month.

The United States and Arab states view an agreement between Israel and Hamas as the best way to prevent the Gaza war from escalating into a full-scale regional conflict.

“The focus of my visit is entirely on the release of the hostages and the enforcement of the ceasefire,” Blinken said.

“It is also time to make sure that nobody takes any steps that could jeopardise this process. So we want to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that could in any way dissuade us from going through with this deal,” he added.