I dreamt of this, Witkoff tells Tel Aviv crowd

With the return from the Gaza Strip of the hostages who are still alive expected tomorrow, or perhaps as early as today, US President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Israel to ensure full implementation of the first phase of the agreement to end the war.

President Trump himself is due to arrive in Israel tomorrow for a four-hour visit that will include an address to the Knesset.

Witkoff and Kushner are already thinking about the next phase, a senior Israeli source familiar with the details said today.

The source added that the visit to the Gaza Strip yesterday by Witkoff, Kushner, and Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of United States Central Command, was intended for them to see on the ground the areas from which the IDF was withdrawing. The three also discussed the coordination mechanism for supervising the ceasefire.

A US task force based at Hatzor will start to oversee the ceasefire today. Israel has expressed reservations, on the grounds that the move is liable to restrict the IDF’s freedom of action. Witkoff, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump participated at a rally last night in support of the release of the hostages held by Hamas in the Tel Aviv Museum plaza, which has become known as Hostages Square, the site of demonstrations and constant vigils since the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

“I dreamt of this – soon the hostages will be home. When courage meets conviction, miracles can happen. You have carried the weight of hope on your shoulders for the entire world. You’ve prayed, you’ve persevered. And you’ve shown the world that peace is not weakness. It is the highest form of strength. Through heartbreak and fear, you have never let go of the faith.” Witkoff told the crowd.

In Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle there is talk of the end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip creating momentum for the establishment of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and even Syria.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on October 12, 2025.

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