TEL AVIV: US envoy Steve Witkoff met with distraught relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Saturday, amid growing concerns over their survival nearly 22 months after Hamas’s October 2023 attack. The meeting took place as international pressure mounts for a resolution to the conflict.
Witkoff was greeted by hundreds of protesters in Tel Aviv, some applauding while others pleaded for assistance. Videos circulating online captured the emotional scene, with families chanting “Bring them home!” and “We need your help.” The envoy later held a closed-door discussion with representatives from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The gathering followed Witkoff’s visit to a US-backed aid station in Gaza, where he assessed efforts to deliver food to the war-torn Palestinian territory. “The war needs to end,“ said Yotam Cohen, whose 21-year-old brother Nimrod remains captive. “The Israeli government will not end it willingly. It has refused to do so.”
Of the 251 hostages taken during the initial Hamas assault, 49 are still believed to be in Gaza, with 27 declared dead by Israeli authorities. After the meeting, the Forum released a statement confirming Witkoff’s personal commitment to securing their release, alongside US President Donald Trump.
Hamas intensified psychological pressure on families by releasing a second video of hostage Evyatar David, 24, appearing emaciated in a tunnel. His family condemned the footage as “vile propaganda,“ accusing Hamas of deliberate starvation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot denounced the video as “despicable,“ urging unconditional release and Hamas’s disarmament.
Ceasefire negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar collapsed last month, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under domestic and international scrutiny. Meanwhile, UN agencies warn of famine in Gaza, with over two million civilians at risk.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir rejected claims of intentional starvation, calling them “deceitful accusations.” However, displaced Gazans like Modallala Dawwas reported severe malnutrition, with her daughter’s weight plummeting from 25kg to 10kg.
The conflict has claimed 1,219 Israeli lives, mostly civilians, and over 60,332 Palestinian lives, per Gaza’s health ministry. Recent Israeli strikes killed 34, including five near a food distribution site. - AFP
