US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said he saw "encouraging signs" of progress towards a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip on a visit to Turkey.

"We talked about the imperative of Hamas saying 'yes' to the agreement that's possible, to finally help bring this to an end. And we appreciate very much the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas to try to bring this to conclusion."

"We discussed I think the opportunity... to get a ceasefire [in Gaza] in place. And what we've seen in the last couple of weeks are more encouraging signs that is possible," Blinken said after meeting Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The two diplomats also discussed the situation in Syria which is in a state of flux following the fall of president Bashar al-Assad last weekend.

Fidan said that possible Turkish and US roles for Syria's future were among the topics they discussed.

He added that Turkey's priority in Syria is ensuring the stability and prevention of domination by groups deemed terrorists after the ouster of Assad.

Blinken said it was "imperative" to work against a resurgence of the Islamic State group in Syria post-Assad.

"Our country worked very hard... to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS, to ensure that that threat doesn't rear its head again. And it's imperative that we keep at those efforts," Blinken said in Ankara at a press conference with Fidan. (Agencies)