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12 Oct 2025 14:35
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  •   Home > News > International

    Benjamin Netanyahu booed as Steve Witkoff speaks ahead of return of hostages

    Thousands of Israelis have gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where US envoy Steve Witkoff spoke to the crowd in anticipation of the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.


    Thousands of Israelis have gathered in Tel Aviv in anticipation of the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

    United States envoy Steve Witkoff was the headline act at Hostages Square, where he praised the crowd's strength and courage to huge cheers.

    In Gaza, Palestinians returned to ruined homes as the ceasefire held for a second day.

    The 72-hour window for the hostage release ends on Monday.

    Mr Witkoff was flanked by President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the ceasefire deal.

    "I dreamed of this night," Mr Witkoff said.

    "It's been a long journey."

    But as soon as he mentioned Benjamin Netanyahu the crowd started to boo.

    Many in the country blame the Israeli prime minister for not ending the war sooner and getting the hostages home.

    The crowd also appeared unimpressed when Mr Witkoff praised the Arab leaders who had come to the table for talks in Egypt aimed at ending the war.

    He said the hostages would be coming home on Monday and that Israelis owed a debt of gratitude to Mr Trump.

    Several people told the ABC the deal to return the hostages would have never happened without the US president.

    "Only Trump," one woman said when asked who was responsible for their imminent release.

    "We couldn't have done it without the help of Trump," a young man named Yuval said.

    Thousands of people crammed into Hostages Square and the surrounding streets for what many hoped would be the last rally before the remaining captives were returned to Israel.

    Many people were crying as they listened to speeches from the families of the hostages.

    "I'm stressed, like my heart is full of like boom-boom-boom-boom," attendee Daniel Lerner told the ABC.

    "It's not over until the last hostage is here, until the last Israeli person in Gaza is here."

    The "Trump factor" was clearly a major part of the ceasefire and hostage deal, according to Dana Rabinowitz.

    "I think we kind of felt like an abandoned kid in a canyon that's just waiting for his parents to come when nobody comes," she said.

    Elsewhere in the square, former California resident Yael Sendler was more scathing of the Israeli prime minister.

    "I think if it wasn't for Trump, we wouldn't be here today," she said.

    "I don't think our government right now in Israel generally cares about the civilians.

    "I think it's crucial that we have someone that stands so courageously with Israel and is not afraid to speak about that."

    Meir Disler seemed surprised the US president had managed to pull it off.

    "To my great satisfaction, it did happen, finally, thanks to Trump," he said with a smile on his face.

    Hostages Square is likely to remain a focal point for the community over the next few days.

    In the January and February ceasefire thousands flocked to the location to watch the handovers happen on the big screen.

    On Saturday Mr Witkoff addressed the hostages directly during his speech, saying, "as you return to the embrace of your families and your nation, know that all of Israel and the entire world stands ready to welcome you home with open arms and endless love".

    The Israeli military has been making preparations to receive the 20 hostages who are still alive and the bodies of 26 declared dead.

    The fate of two others is unknown.

    A Hamas official has confirmed that the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, both living and dead, will begin on Monday morning local time.

    Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, many of whom were captured during the war, will also be released after the hostages are freed as part of the deal, including 250 that have been named by Israel.

    Palestinians return to rubble

    After the ceasefire began on Friday at midday, local time, thousands of Palestinians who had fled south started returning north.

    But instead of going to their homes they were greeted by scenes of utter destruction.

    "We returned yesterday and found the house destroyed," Mahmoud Abu-Sharia told the ABC.

    "There are no necessities of life here — no water, no food, no drink.

    "I don't know where to bring my sons and daughters to live. They're in the south now and I'm here looking for a place for them to live, and I can't [find one]."

    Israeli troops have pulled back to predetermined positions outside of major urban areas but still control roughly half of the Gaza Strip.

    Umm Mohammad el-Dahdouh, 48, told the ABC it seemed as if the Israeli military took over her building and "turned it into a settlement for them."

    "They were living and coexisting here and when they finished their mission they blew up the houses," she said.

    "Here we are in the street — we don't have land any more, or homes or anything and we don't know what to do.

    "I left my house without taking any bedding, staples, or the children's winter clothes or anything … I don't how I'm going to sort myself out."

    Most of the strip has been left in ruins.

    More than 67,000 people have been killed and thousands more are still under the rubble.

    Mr Abu-Sharia said his neighbours had been searching for their children for two weeks.

    Ms el-Dahdouh swept the roof of what was once her house while her children removed larger debris as they tried to clear an area to settle.

    "How are we going to live in this cold weather, with no ceiling, no roof, no nothing," Ms el-Dahdouh said.

    "Had they at least left the columns standing we would have wrapped them in canvas and sheltered inside, but they left it all as rubble."

    She demanded Palestinians be given their rights and be provided with tents, clothes and bedding.

    "I don't even have a tent or water containers — if wanted to go get some from far away … there's no roads to use," Ms el-Dahdouh said.

    "My children are 15 years old and under, how are they meant to help me? Are they going to go fetch water from the end of the world?"

    Hundreds of trucks carrying food and medical aid are expected to start arriving in Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.

    Mr Abu-Sharia hoped Palestinians would be given a chance to stay safe.

    "We are demanding that the world have mercy on our children, to see what the Palestinian people need, because here in Gaza we have been completely destroyed," he said.

    "God willing this ceasefire will hold and people will find accommodation to shelter in rather than be homeless."

    Trump to co-chair meeting in Egypt

    Mr Witkoff, Mr Kushner and Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper accompanied Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir to Gaza on Saturday, according to the US military.

    Admiral Cooper said in a statement that his visit was part of the establishment of a task force that would support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, though US troops would not be deployed inside the enclave.

    About 200 US troops have arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas and will set up a centre to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance.

    UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said the agency expected to significantly increase supplies of high-energy food for malnourished children, menstrual hygiene supplies, and tents.

    Trump will join the leaders of more than 20 countries in Egypt on Monday for an international summit aiming to finalise permanent peace terms, a spokesperson for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, Pedro Sanchez of Spain and French President Emmanuel Macron are also expected to attend the meeting at Sharm el-Sheikh.

    There was no immediate word about whether Mr Netanyahu would attend the meeting.

    Hamas has said it will not take part, according to news wire agency AFP.

    The meeting is to be co-chaired by Mr Trump and the Egyptian president.

    On Saturday Mr Sisi called for the deployment of an international force to Gaza authorised by the UN Security Council.

    ABC/wires

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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