diff --git a/node/bft/src/gateway.rs b/node/bft/src/gateway.rs
index 60af4c788f..a975bb24a6 100644
--- a/node/bft/src/gateway.rs
+++ b/node/bft/src/gateway.rs
@@ -631,8 +631,21 @@ impl<N: Network> Gateway<N> {
                 if let Some(sync_sender) = self.sync_sender.get() {
                     // Retrieve the block response.
                     let BlockResponse { request, blocks } = block_response;
+
                     // Perform the deferred non-blocking deserialization of the blocks.
-                    let blocks = blocks.deserialize().await.map_err(|error| anyhow!("[BlockResponse] {error}"))?;
+                    // The deserialization can take a long time (minutes). We should not be running
+                    // this on a blocking task, but on a rayon thread pool.
+                    let (send, recv) = tokio::sync::oneshot::channel();
+                    rayon::spawn_fifo(move || {
+                        let blocks = blocks.deserialize_blocking().map_err(|error| anyhow!("[BlockResponse] {error}"));
+                        let _ = send.send(blocks);
+                    });
+                    let blocks = match recv.await {
+                        Ok(Ok(blocks)) => blocks,
+                        Ok(Err(error)) => bail!("Peer '{peer_ip}' sent an invalid block response - {error}"),
+                        Err(error) => bail!("Peer '{peer_ip}' sent an invalid block response - {error}"),
+                    };
+
                     // Ensure the block response is well-formed.
                     blocks.ensure_response_is_well_formed(peer_ip, request.start_height, request.end_height)?;
                     // Send the blocks to the sync module.
@@ -955,6 +968,22 @@ impl<N: Network> Gateway<N> {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    /// Processes a message received from the network.
+    async fn process_message_inner(&self, peer_addr: SocketAddr, message: Event<N>) {
+        // Process the message. Disconnect if the peer violated the protocol.
+        if let Err(error) = self.inbound(peer_addr, message).await {
+            if let Some(peer_ip) = self.resolver.get_listener(peer_addr) {
+                warn!("{CONTEXT} Disconnecting from '{peer_ip}' - {error}");
+                let self_ = self.clone();
+                tokio::spawn(async move {
+                    Transport::send(&self_, peer_ip, DisconnectReason::ProtocolViolation.into()).await;
+                    // Disconnect from this peer.
+                    self_.disconnect(peer_ip);
+                });
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 #[async_trait]
@@ -1045,17 +1074,15 @@ impl<N: Network> Reading for Gateway<N> {
 
     /// Processes a message received from the network.
     async fn process_message(&self, peer_addr: SocketAddr, message: Self::Message) -> io::Result<()> {
-        // Process the message. Disconnect if the peer violated the protocol.
-        if let Err(error) = self.inbound(peer_addr, message).await {
-            if let Some(peer_ip) = self.resolver.get_listener(peer_addr) {
-                warn!("{CONTEXT} Disconnecting from '{peer_ip}' - {error}");
-                let self_ = self.clone();
-                tokio::spawn(async move {
-                    Transport::send(&self_, peer_ip, DisconnectReason::ProtocolViolation.into()).await;
-                    // Disconnect from this peer.
-                    self_.disconnect(peer_ip);
-                });
-            }
+        if matches!(message, Event::BlockRequest(_) | Event::BlockResponse(_)) {
+            let self_ = self.clone();
+            // Handle BlockRequest and BlockResponse messages in a separate task to not block the
+            // inbound queue.
+            tokio::spawn(async move {
+                self_.process_message_inner(peer_addr, message).await;
+            });
+        } else {
+            self.process_message_inner(peer_addr, message).await;
         }
         Ok(())
     }