Netanyahu booed in Tel Aviv during US envoy Witkoff speech
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Israeli settlers boo Prime Minister Netanyahu during Steve Witkoff’s speech in Tel Aviv on the ceasefire in Gaza.
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People react during a rally at a plaza known as 'hostages' square, in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on October 11, 2025, ahead of the expected release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Israeli settlers repeatedly booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s name during a public address by US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Tel Aviv on Saturday, exposing growing dissatisfaction with the occupation's leadership amid ongoing ceasefire talks between the Israeli regime and the Palestinian Resistance.
The event drew a large crowd to a central square in Tel Aviv, where Witkoff was expected to speak about the upcoming exchange of captives between the two sides. But each time the envoy mentioned Netanyahu, the crowd erupted in jeers, forcing him to pause and repeatedly adjust his remarks.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Witkoff began, only to be drowned out by boos. Responding awkwardly with a brief laugh and a hesitant "OK," he attempted to continue, stating, "I was in the trenches with [Netanyahu]. Believe me, he was a very important part here," while the audience continued to heckle.
Witkoff, who appeared alongside Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, struggled to deliver his remarks, even as he praised Arab leaders involved in the ceasefire negotiations. Both Trump and Kushner hold no formal government positions but were reportedly involved in mediating the agreement.
The envoy tried to reassure the public that Israeli captives in Gaza would be released on Monday and that the people "owed their gratitude" to US President Donald Trump. The statement failed to sway the crowd, which remained openly hostile toward Netanyahu and dismissive of Witkoff’s message.
Trump’s inner circle present at Tel Aviv rally
The high-profile presence of Trump’s daughter and son-in-law did little to pacify demonstrators, who have staged weekly protests for nearly two years.
The crowd’s frustration was aimed primarily at Netanyahu and his cabinet for their inability to secure the captives’ release and their constant sabotage of ceasefire talks and killing of captives in bombings. Under the current ceasefire agreement, the Zionist regime is preparing to receive 20 Israeli captives who remain alive and the bodies of 26 declared dead. The fate of two others remains unknown.
A Hamas official confirmed that the release of Israeli captives, both living and deceased, will begin on Monday morning. In return, nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, many of them taken during the ongoing Israeli genocide, are expected to be freed.
Netanyahu’s Likud party issued a statement defending the prime minister, claiming the protesters “booed the truth.” The weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv and beyond have repeatedly denounced his administration’s actions and its handling of the war in Gaza.
