Blinken and Netanyahu met for over two hours on Monday – a meeting both describe as "constructive".
The American minister now hopes that this week's negotiations will yield concrete results and that the beginning of the end of several months of talks can be glimpsed.
Netanyahu confirmed that Israel accepts our proposal. He backs it. Now it's up to Hamas to do the same, says Blinken to journalists in Tel Aviv.
He did not want to say whether the proposal includes Israel's demands, among other things, for a continued Israeli military presence at the border between Gaza and Egypt, as well as preventing armed Hamas forces from returning to northern Gaza.
Traveling to Qatar
Netanyahu says in a video-recorded speech that his priority in the first step is to bring home a "maximum number" of living hostages.
I want to emphasize that the efforts already in the first stage of the agreement are to release as many hostages as possible, he says.
The talks about a ceasefire are expected to continue in Egypt on Tuesday, where Blinken also plans to go. He will also travel to Qatar for individual talks with the mediators, he says.
Blinken says that he also demanded during the meeting that Israel takes action against the settlers who attack Palestinians on the West Bank.
We will monitor the situation to ensure that something is done and that (Israel) prevents violence and takes action against those responsible, he says.
Decisive Moment
Before the meeting, Blinken said that the ongoing talks about a ceasefire in Gaza may constitute the last chance to reach an agreement.
This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to bring home hostages, reach a ceasefire, and embark on a path towards lasting peace and security, said Blinken during a meeting with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
It's time to get it done. It's also time to ensure that no one does anything to derail the process, he added.
The minister's Middle East trip is his ninth since the outbreak of war in October, which followed after Hamas's brutal surprise attack on Israel last October.
It's time for everyone to say yes, and not look for excuses to say no, says Blinken at the press conference.
