10/11/2025October 11, 2025Kushner tells rally of ‘burden’ of bringing hostages home
Kushner is a former White House advisor and is married to Trump’s daughter, IvankaImage: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
Jared Kushner told the Tel Aviv rally of the pain he has felt since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.
That terror attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, sparked a military offensive by Israel that has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed over 70,000 people.
“Since then, my heart has not been complete, and it’s been a tremendous burden that I’ve felt to see these hostages come home,” Kushner said.
The former White House advisor spoke of his happiness at seeing the relatives of hostages “get the closure they deserve and to end this nightmare.”
Kushner also said he was happy to see “the suffering end for the people in Gaza, who for most of them were experiencing this through no fault of their own other than being born into a situation that was horrific.”
“We’re not going to celebrate tonight, we’re going to celebrate on Monday, when the phase 1 gets into conclusion [sic],” Kushner said.
Tel Aviv braces for hostage release planned for Monday
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He ended his speech by describing how “proud” he is of the “way the State of Israel and its people have carried [themselves] through this traumatic, unthinkable, horrific experience.”
“Instead of replicating the barbarism of the enemy, you chose to be exceptional, you chose to stand for the values that you stand for, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a friend of Israel,” he said.