Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump’s daughter and former government adviser, told Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday evening that she was “impressed” by the “strength and conviction in the face of such suffering” of the hostages’ families as they prepare to come home following the historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas brokered by her father earlier this week.
“And the president wanted me to tell you, as he has done with so many of you personally, that he sees you, he hears you, and he always has your back,” she added. “And the return of each hostage is not just a moment of homecoming and relief. It is a triumph of faith, of courage and of our shared humanity.”
Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, told the crowd that he was confident that “what will come out of this trauma will be a level of greatness, a level of achievement, a level of impact on the world, a level of leadership that Israel has never seen.”
FROM LOSS TO GRATITUDE: TRUMP BELIEVED AS ISRAELIANS CELEBRATE HAMAS HOSTAGE DEAL IN TEL AVIV
Ivanka Trump addressed the crowd at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday. (Credit: Paulina Patimer)
“As we close this chapter, let us learn from the challenges and pain of the past years, and let us do our best to make Israel, to make the region, to make the world peaceful, to build bridges of understanding, to eradicate the hatred within ourselves and the hatred of others, and to truly lead with love.”
TRUMP SAYS ‘WHOLE WORLD TOGETHER’ TO SECURE ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL AFTER MONTHS OF DEADLOCK
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who also spoke at the meeting, said the bravery of the hostages’ families “has roiled the world” as the surviving hostages prepare to return home following a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who also spoke at the meeting, said the bravery of the hostages’ families “has roiled the world” as surviving hostages prepare to return home following a ceasefire deal with Hamas. (Credit: Paulina Patimer)
“From the bottom of our hearts we honor the families of the hostages,” Witkoff told a crowd of thousands. “You have all carried the moral weight of this nation. Your courage moved the world and touched me in a way I have never touched before in my life.”
US SENDS CENTCOM TROOPS TO ISRAEL FOR SURVEILLANCE OF TRUMP-BROKERED HAMAS
Jared Kushner speaks at a rally at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday. (Credit: Alon Gilboa)
Witkoff also praised Trump as a “humanitarian who proved once again that bold leadership and moral clarity can reshape history and change the world. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to President Trump.”
Hundreds of thousands of people took to Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and nearby streets to support the hostage families who are expected to welcome their loved ones back in the coming days. (Amir Goldstein)
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The 72-hour countdown before Hamas releases the remaining hostages began Friday.
Twenty of the hostages are believed to be alive, while another 28 have died.
Some protesters booed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they cheered on Trump at the event. The hostage meetings were organized by Netanyahu’s opposition advisers, a source in Netanyahu’s office said.
The hostages’ families condemned the booing.
