US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Egypt and Israel at a critical time when Washington is trying to increase pressure on Hamas - designated as a terrorist group by the US and EU - and Israel for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, aiming to prevent the conflict from spreading to Lebanon.

This marks the top US diplomat's seventh trip to the region, including visits to Jordan and Qatar, since the October 7 incident in which Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking the deadliest confrontation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Blinken will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and then visit Israel, where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Ahead of these meetings, Hamas urged Blinken to pressure Israel to end the war and expressed its readiness to welcome any peace initiative.