Trump announces trip to Middle East later this week - What's known so far

US President Donald Trump said that he may travel to the Middle East on Sunday, as the United States pushes forward with negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

“They’re doing very well. We have a great team over there, great negotiators, and they’re, unfortunately, great negotiators on the other side also. It’s something I think that will happen, got a good chance of happening. I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday. Actually, and we’ll see, but there’s a very good chance that negotiations are going along very well,” Trump said, adding he’d been speaking with his team before arriving at his event.

According to CNN, based on Trump’s remarks, the trip could take place Saturday or Sunday, though the president did not specify which country he intends to visit.

NBC News added that Trump largely echoed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who earlier said he might also travel to the Middle East "pretty soon."

Rubio told reporters that the US peace agreement on Gaza is progressing "so quickly" that he may have to cancel a planned meeting in Paris, where post-war arrangements for Gaza were to be discussed.

"I may be traveling to the Middle East instead, as things have moved so quickly over there that we think we may need to be there pretty soon," Rubio said.

As CNN reports, negotiators are currently meeting in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea to finalize an agreement that would free hostages from Gaza and establish a ceasefire in the blockaded enclave.

During the press conference, Trump was asked whether he was considering visiting Gaza to see the situation firsthand. He clarified that his Middle East trip will include Egypt, but did not rule out visiting the Gaza Strip itself.

"I’ll be going to Egypt, most likely, that’s where everybody is gathered right now, and we appreciate that very much," Trump said. "But I’ll be making the rounds, as the expression goes."

Gaza peace agreement

As previously reported, a week ago, the United States prepared a new peace plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The document consists of 20 points and envisions the creation of an international Peace Council, to be co-chaired by Donald Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

After unveiling the initiative, Trump announced the start of "effective negotiations" toward signing a final agreement.

On October 6, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began in Egypt, with Egyptian, US, and Qatari officials serving as mediators.