US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Cairo that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East, AFP reports.

This marks Blinken’s tenth trip to the region since the start of the conflict that was sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. His visit aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict.

No other regional stops, including Israel, were on his itinerary.

“We discussed the importance of getting this deal across the finish line, something we’ll continue to pursue with our Qatari counterparts,” Blinken told journalists in a joint press conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

“We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability,” he added.

Following the meeting with Blinken, Sisi’s office said the pair discussed “ways to intensify joint efforts between Egypt, the US and Qatar to make progress on ceasefire negotiations and the exchange of hostages and detainees”.