A large crowd gathered at a square in Tel Aviv on Saturday to hear Witkoff speak about the status of the ceasefire between the Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Yet whenever the envoy attempted to praise Netanyahu, an ally of US President Donald Trump, the audience jeered, forcing him to deliver a disrupted and hesitant speech.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” he began, before being drowned out by a wave of boos. Witkoff responded with “OK,” followed by an awkward chuckle.
“OK, let me just finish my thought … I was in the trenches with [Netanyahu]. Believe me, he was a very important part here,” Witkoff said as the booing continued, trying to press on with his remarks.
Witkoff was joined by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who hold no official posts in the US administration but were reportedly involved in the ceasefire talks.
The crowd also appeared unmoved when Witkoff commended the Arab leaders who had participated in the negotiations.
He further attempted to reassure the public that the Israeli captives held in Gaza would be released on Monday and that Israelis owed their gratitude to Trump.
Netanyahu’s Likud party issued a statement defending the prime minister, claiming that the jeering protesters “booed the truth.”
Similar demonstrations have been held almost weekly for nearly two years since the Hamas-led Al-Aqsa Flood operation, during which captives were taken in retaliation for decades of Israeli oppression.
The gatherings consistently denounce Netanyahu and his cabinet for failing to counter the overwhelming strength of Palestinian resistance forces during the operation, and for their inability to secure the captives’ release.
As part of a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli regime and Hamas, the Zionist military is preparing to receive 20 captives who remain alive and the bodies of 26 declared dead, while the fate of two others is still unknown.
A Hamas official confirmed that the release of the remaining Israeli captives, both living and deceased, will begin on Monday morning local time.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian abductees, many seized during the Israeli genocide, will also be freed after the captives’ release under the agreement, including 250 identified by Israel.
Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal offensive on Gaza on October 7, 2023, at least 67,682 Palestinians have been killed and 170,033 wounded, most of them women and children.
Experts believe the actual death toll is significantly higher, as thousands remain missing or trapped beneath the debris.
RHM/Press TV
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