U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken today urged “all sides” in the Middle East to de-escalate and urgently reach a ceasefire in Gaza amid fears of escalation following the death of the Hamas leader, who was killed in Tehran in a strike attributed to Israel.

“Regarding the Middle East, the region is currently on a path toward more conflict, violence, suffering, and insecurity. It is important to break this cycle, and that starts with a ceasefire which we are working on,” said the head of U.S. diplomacy during a press conference in Mongolia.

He added that this requires “primarily that all sides engage in dialogue, refrain from measures that lead to escalation, find reasons to reach an agreement, and not reasons to delay or reject it.”

As he did the previous day in Singapore, Blinken did not directly comment on the death of the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement and refused to “speculate” on the impact this development could have on a Gaza ceasefire, which the U.S., along with Qatar and Egypt, has been trying to achieve for weeks.

However, he added, “I believe not only is it feasible, but it must be achieved.”

“It is urgent that all sides make the right choices in the coming days because these choices will make the difference between continuing this path of violence, insecurity, suffering, or moving toward something entirely different and much better for all involved,” he stated.