Senior U.S., Israeli and Qatari officials held secret talks at the White House on Tuesday that honed in on the key remaining sticking point for a long-sought ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.

The White House said a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be reached by the end of the week. The deal includes a 60-day pause in fighting and the release of hostages.

The less I speak about this publicly the better," Prime Minister Netanyahu said to reporters upon leaving the White House.