U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a "bridging proposal" Washington presented to tackle disagreements blocking a cease-fire deal in Gaza, and urged Hamas to do the same.

Blinken spoke to journalists after a day of meetings with Israeli officials, including a 2½-hour meeting with Netanyahu.

The top U.S. diplomat had earlier said this push was probably the best and possibly last opportunity for a deal.