Shafaq News – Middle East
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met on Saturday with families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in a gathering marked by growing frustration over what they described as the lack of progress in securing the release.
The meeting took place at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, days after Palestinian Islamic Jihad published footage of captives Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David in visibly deteriorated condition. The videos, released with the consent of their families, have drawn renewed scrutiny of the government’s response.
Rom’s mother requested an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defense minister, and the IDF chief of staff, noting that no officials had reached out following the footage's release.
“Most Israelis want the hostages home,” Witkoff addressed the assembled families. “And most Gazans want the hostages home too—they want Gaza rebuilt,” emphasizing that efforts remained underway to reach an agreement for the release of the 50 remaining captives and a broader resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Despite the envoy’s remarks, many relatives expressed disappointment at the outcome of the meeting, which lasted over two hours. “I didn’t expect anything from this meeting,” expressed the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza.
“It’s been eight months since Trump’s statement, three months since your last visit, and the situation has only gotten worse. It is just slogans. With 50 people in the room, you can’t have a real dialogue,” he added.
The renewed focus on the hostage crisis comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported at least 162 deaths from hunger or malnutrition, the majority occurring in recent weeks.
An additional 39 individuals reportedly died in the past 24 hours while attempting to reach food and supplies. According to local health authorities, the total Palestinian death toll since the start of the conflict in October 2023 has now exceeded 60,430.
International pressure has also mounted for expanded aid access into the enclave, as relief organizations warn of widespread food insecurity and escalating malnutrition.
While acknowledging the severity of the crisis, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed comparisons to past humanitarian catastrophes. “There is hunger and issues that need to be addressed in Gaza, but the situation is not like what happened in Sudan or Rwanda,” he noted, underscoring that “the United Nations bears responsibility for the failure to deliver aid to Gaza’s residents.”