US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he may travel to the Middle East later this week, as negotiators in Egypt reported “encouraging” progress toward a deal to end the Gaza war.

Trump, whose 20-point peace proposal forms the basis of the talks in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, said a peace deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is “very close”.

“Negotiations are going along very well,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” he added. “‘Peace for the Middle East’, that’s a beautiful phrase, and we hope it’s going to come true.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi – who has invited Trump to travel to Egypt if a deal is reached – said signs from the talks were “encouraging”, while Hamas, too, expressed “optimism” over the indirect discussions with its foe Israel.

Both warring sides have responded positively to Trump’s plan, which calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.