U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met relatives of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv on Saturday, as hundreds rallied to demand a cease-fire that would secure their release, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
Witkoff's visit, his third to Hostage Square since the war began, came shortly after Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad released footage showing two emaciated Israeli captives, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, prompting renewed outrage.
Witkoff told the protesters that "most Israelis want the hostages home" and "most Gazans want the hostages home too, they want Gaza rebuilt," adding that efforts to secure a deal for the release of the remaining 50 hostages and to resolve the war were "ongoing."
Following the meeting, many of the family members expressed discouragement after the discussion, saying they were left with more questions than answers, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
On Friday, Witkoff visited an aid center in southern Gaza operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
He said the aim was to give U.S. President Donald Trump "a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza."
The visit comes amid mounting criticism of US-Israeli coordination in Gaza, particularly regarding the group's distribution model, which Palestinians say serves as a tool for displacement under the guise of humanitarian relief as well as a "death trap" for many Palestinian aid seekers, with over 1,300 killed since May while waiting for relief supplies.
Hamas on Thursday denounced the visit as a "propaganda stunt" aimed at deflecting global outrage over what rights groups and U.N. officials have described as Israel's systematic starvation campaign.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 163 Palestinians, including 93 children, have died of hunger-related causes, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
