U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he plans to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that Netanyahu would be traveling to Washington to meet with him. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week.

The visit will make the Israeli prime minister the first foreign leader to be invited to Trump's residence since he took office last week.

The Trump-Netanyahu meeting comes after the US president repeatedly claimed credit for sealing an ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which came after months of fruitless negotiations.

The Israeli prime minister would be the first foreign leader to visit Washington in Donald Trump’s second term after receiving an invitation for February 4.

President Trump’s Middle East envoy is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu. The visit by the envoy, Steven Witkoff, was set to take place as Israeli and Hamas officials prepared for a new round of negotiations aimed at cementing the current cease-fire in Gaza and allowing more exchanges of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The visit comes as the United States pressures Israel and Hamas to continue a ceasefire that has paused a devastating 15-month war in Gaza.