U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he may travel to the Middle East later this week, as negotiations for a potential peace deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza near completion.
"I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. "And we'll see, but there is a very good chance. Negotiations are going along very well."
Several media reports said a cease-fire deal was "very close," citing multiple sources involved in the talks, who added that it could be finalized within 48 hours.
According to Egyptian state-affiliated TV, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Israel's chief negotiator Ron Dermer held an "expanded meeting" in Egypt on Wednesday.
Negotiators are working to reach an agreement based on Trump's cease-fire plan for Gaza. According to a Hamas official, the Palestinian group and Israel have already exchanged lists of hostages and prisoners set to be released as part of the deal.
Several other sources familiar with the matter told Axios that officials from the U.S., Israel, and Qatar are optimistic that a deal to end the war in Gaza could be reached this week.
Türkiye's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın traveled to Egypt to attend the talks on Wednesday, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be traveling to Paris to attend the Paris meeting on Gaza transition.
Two White House officials reported significant progress in the talks, indicating that an agreement could be reached within days.
A senior Israeli official expressed cautious optimism, saying: "There is progress. We feel cautious optimism."
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the discussions indicated that Qatari mediators expect to reach an agreement by Friday.
