"Brett is in the region. He was in Cairo, in fact, today, and he'll have other stops along the way..."
Here's White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby:
"The conversations are sober and serious. Again, I don't want to get ahead of where we are, and I can't give you odds on if or when we'll be able to get there. But the conversations are very sober and serious about trying to get another hostage deal in place."
News of the talks comes a day after a report from Axios saying Israel sent a proposal to Hamas through mediators in Qatar and Egypt offering a multi-phase pause of up to two months in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages.
A representative of Qatar said mediation efforts were ongoing.
And Kirby on Tuesday would not say if the report was accurate.
"I can't confirm reports that those are the parameters of a deal that's being discussed."
More than 100 hostages were released in a seven-day ceasefire late last year.
But more than 100 are believed still held captive. And their families are turning to protest against the government.
"We wake up, we see what our prime minister says, we see what Qatar says, what the Americans say, what the Egyptians say, what Hamas says, everyday is a struggle, everyday is new..."
Itai Siegel is the nephew of hostage Kieth Siegel, and spent a night in the cold outside the prime minister's residence.
"We are where the prime minister is during the week. We are here to haunt him and to remind him that his job right now is to bring our loved ones back and nothing else."
Israel has said its operation in Gaza is aimed at eradicating Hamas and returning all the hostages taken when gunmen from the Islamist group attacked Israeli communities on Oct 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 captives.
More than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel embarked on its war in Gaza.
"There will be no ceasefire that leaves the hostages in Gaza and Hamas in power. Beyond that, we have nothing to elaborate."
An Israeli government spokesperson on Tuesday reiterated the country's objectives, ruling out any deal that left Hamas in control of any part of Gaza.
