WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he may travel to the Middle East this weekend as a Gaza deal is "very close."

"Negotiations are going along very well," Trump said at the White House. "I may go there sometime toward the end of the week."

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas entered their third day on Wednesday in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Senior officials from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye joined the indirect talks, which also included U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday invited Trump to attend a signing ceremony for a potential agreement, should ongoing negotiations succeed.

For now, the talks have entered a critical phase, even as fighting continues in Gaza. ■