Hostages Square Erupts as Deal Nears, Cheers for President Donald Trump, Boos for Netanyahu
Tens of thousands filled Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday night, cheering the deal expected to bring home 48 captives—alive and dead—within 72 hours. In her report for The Media Line, Miriam Metzinger describes an emotional scene that blended celebration, exhaustion, and political tension two years after the October 7 attacks.
From the stage, Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff thanked President Donald Trump, saying the president “made this peace possible,” and hailed Israelis’ “strength, resilience, and unwavering spirit.” The crowd erupted at the US president’s name. When Witkoff mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sustained boos forced him to pause before he went on to praise Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer for their sacrifices.
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Witkoff said the event drew more than 100,000 people and credited regional partners—Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s leaders including Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman and the emir, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—for helping close the deal.
Jared Kushner recalled learning of the October 7 massacre while at a wedding in Colorado, saying it “shocked me to my core.” He urged Israelis to move forward from trauma and voiced empathy for Gaza’s civilians “born into a horrific situation.”
Ivanka Trump delivered the American president’s message that he “sees you, hears you, and stands with you—always,” calling each hostage’s return “a triumph of faith and courage.” As Metzinger notes, the rally captured Israel’s raw emotion on the eve of President Donald Trump’s expected arrival and the hostages’ long-awaited return.
