Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner visit Israel to meet with leaders, families of hostages

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner traveled to Israel to meet with political leaders and families of those kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on the country.

“It’s important to see with one’s own eyes the lingering effects of the barbaric and unspeakable acts of October 7,” Kushner posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Kushner wrote that the two “met with families of those that were kidnapped, including some still in Gaza.”

“We met with several political leaders who are committed to building lasting solutions to intractable problems,” Kushner wrote. “With determination, trust, pragmatism and creativity, the previously unthinkable can be accomplished.”

Both Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who is the former president’s oldest daughter, served as top aides in the Trump White House. Both are Jewish, and neither has an official role on the Trump 2024 campaign.

Their visit comes more than two months after Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, killed roughly 1,200 Israelis. Nearly 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in subsequent bombings and military operations carried out by Israeli forces, according to the latest update from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

Kushner in particular was at the center of the Trump administration’s efforts to broker peace in the Middle East. He led the establishment of the Abraham Accords, which were agreements to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The administration also released a highly anticipated Middle East peace plan, though it drew criticism from Palestinian leaders who viewed it as overly favorable to Israel.

Former President Trump, who is leading in GOP primary polls, has given mixed messages in responding to the Israel-Hamas conflict. He initially criticized Israeli leadership after the Oct. 7 attacks but has since expressed support for the country.

“So you have a war that’s going on, and you’re probably going to have to let this play out,” Trump said in a November interview with Univision. “You’re probably going to have to let it play out, because a lot of people are dying.”