TEL AVIV, Aug 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel to push for a Gaza truce, said on Monday ongoing negotiations were "maybe the last" chance to reach an agreement to end the war.

"This is a decisive moment -- probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security," Blinken said as he met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his ninth trip to the region since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.