Scoop: Top Biden adviser to visit Egypt and Qatar to discuss hostage talks

• It's McGurk's second trip to the region this month to discuss the issue. He quietly visited Doha on Jan. 9.

Driving the news: McGurk is expected to travel to the Middle East on Sunday. In Egypt, he will meet with Minister of Intelligence Abbas Kamel.

• The Egyptian intelligence service is one of the key mediators between Israel and Hamas on the hostage issue.
• McGurk is also expected to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha later in the week. Qatar is the second mediator between Hamas and Israel.

State of play: McGurk consulted with Israeli officials last week on the hostage negotiations. President Biden discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.

• While in the region, McGurk is also expected to discuss the war in Gaza and other regional tensions, the sources said.
• The White House declined to comment. Qatari and Egyptian officials also declined to comment.

What they're saying: "The discussions we're having are sober and serious about potentially getting another hostage deal in place," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.

• But he made clear that no imminent deal is expected. "There's a lot of hard work still ahead," he said.

The big picture: More than 130 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, according to Israeli officials.

• Several major gaps remain in the negotiations, including Hamas' demand that the war in Gaza ends ahead of any possible hostage deal — a demand Israel has rejected.

Go deeper: Qatar tells hostages' families that getting deal harder after Hamas leader's killing