Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner visited the Kibbutz (settlement) Kfar Aza near the Shejaiya neighborhood, north of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
During their visit to the settlement, located between Netivot and Sderot—approximately 5 kilometers east of Gaza—the couple heard the sounds of Israeli artillery and reached areas bordering the Gaza Strip, coming within one kilometer of Shejaiya, as reported by Israeli newspapers.
Accompanied by the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, Kushner and Trump spoke with a few of the residents who remained in the settlement following the operation "Al-Qassam Brigades Flood of al-Aqsa" launched on October 7th, 2023.
As reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Ivanka and Kushner, who are enthusiastic supporters of Israel, flew from Miami and landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, on a visit that is not their first.
The broadcasting authority noted that the official reason for the visit is not yet known, amid expectations that it may be similar to recent visits of celebrities, Hollywood stars, and other public figures to Tel Aviv, who continue to arrive to show support for Israel.
Video clips showed Ivanka and Kushner touring several sites in the settlement, where they listened to explanations from two Israeli military officers about the details of what happened during the "Flood of al-Aqsa" attack.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Kushner "thanked the female soldiers who saved lives on October 7th saying: 'It's a great honor for me to be here with you'."
Kushner, an American Jewish businessman, served as a senior advisor in the White House during Trump's presidency and is considered the architect of the "Abraham Accords," which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries.
Ivanka, born a Christian, converted to Judaism in 2009 to marry Jared, who belongs to the Orthodox Jewish Kushner family, and took the Hebrew name "Yael."
Since October 7th, several Western heads of state have visited Israel, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Among the celebrities who have visited are Hollywood stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Seinfeld, renowned American director Quentin Tarantino, and billionaire Elon Musk, former owner of "X," Twitter.
