Video: Knesset members interrupt Trump's speech by unfurling 'genocide' banner
What's the story
Two left-wing Israeli parliamentarians were removed from the Knesset for holding signs that read "genocide" during US President Donald Trump's speech on Monday. Knesset members Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassir of the Arab-Jewish socialist Hadash party reportedly held up banners saying "recognize Palestine" before being escorted out. "That was very efficient," the US president quips about the response as other Knesset members chanted his name.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
🚨 BREAKING: Left-wing members of the Israeli Knesset DRAGGED OUT from President Trump's speech after they rudely heckled and interrupted
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 13, 2025
"Sorry for that, Mr. President."
TRUMP: "That was VERY efficient [removal]!" 🤣
The room BURSTS into applause 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EqXR0D2YpB
Hostage exchange
Hostages handed over to International Red Cross
The speech came after Hamas released all 20 hostages it had been holding in Gaza under a ceasefire agreement facilitated by Trump and mediated with the help of Arab and Muslim nations. The hostages were handed over to the International Red Cross and then transferred to the Israel Defense Forces. In return, Israel is expected to free around 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Mediation appreciation
Trump thanks Arab, Muslim nations
In his address, Trump thanked Arab and Muslim nations for their role in mediating the ceasefire. He said, "Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home." He called this cooperation an "incredible triumph for Israel and the world."
Speech
'Today the skies are calm'
Trump added that "after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent and the sirens are still." "This is not only the end of a war, this is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope, and of God," he says. "It's the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel."
Warm welcome
Netanyahu thanks Trump for unwavering support to Israel
The US president was given a warm welcome by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials. Netanyahu thanked Trump for his unwavering support for Israel, including recognition of Jerusalem as its capital and Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The US president also received a two-and-a-half-minute-long standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset. Speaker Amir Ohana introduced Trump as a "giant of Jewish history," adding the "world needs...more leaders who are brave, resolute, strong, and bold."