Washington, Oct 8 (Reuters) — Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he may travel to Egypt this weekend as negotiators work to finalize a Gaza hostages-for-ceasefire deal.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said that discussions aimed at securing an agreement were “very close” to success and that he could depart for the region as early as Saturday. The remarks came shortly after Trump received an update from his negotiation team currently based in Egypt.

During a public event, Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered the room and handed Trump a written note. Reading it aloud, Trump revealed, “I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me very soon.”

Trump suggested he might travel to Egypt before or immediately after the expected release of hostages as part of the ceasefire arrangement.

Concluding his remarks, the former president said, “I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East,” signaling his potential direct involvement in finalizing the Gaza peace deal.

The ongoing negotiations in Cairo are focused on achieving a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, with mediators hoping for a breakthrough in the coming days.

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lincoln Feast.