His remarks came after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the second leg of his Syria crisis tour following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

"We discussed Gaza, and we discussed I think the opportunity... to get a ceasefire in place. And what we've seen in the last couple of weeks are more encouraging signs that that is possible," Blinken told reporters in Ankara, adding that he appreciates the role Turkey is playing in ceasefire efforts.

Blinken also discussed efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire when he arrived in Jordan on Thursday on what was his 12th visit to the Middle East since the Israeli war on Gaza erupted in October 2023.

His previous trips have ended in disappointment as he sought a ceasefire in Israel's deadliest war on Gaza.

Jordan's King Abdullah, while discussing the ongoing crisis in Syria, told Blinken that "the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza", a palace statement said.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 44,835 Palestinians and injured more than 106,356 others, according to the Palestinian health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable. The majority of the victims are women and children.