U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told relatives of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv over the weekend that Washington and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are drafting what he called a “very, very good plan” that would both secure the captives’ release and “effectively end the war” in Gaza. The meeting came hours after Hamas published a second video of Evyatar David—a visibly emaciated hostage made to dig what he said was his own grave—rekindling protests in Israel and intensifying pressure on the government. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged world powers on Monday to condemn the footage and demand the unconditional liberation of all hostages, while dismissing recent moves toward Palestinian statehood recognition as a “gift to Hamas”. France, the European Union and the World Health Organization separately condemned the images, and President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate cease-fire. As concern mounts over famine in the enclave, the Jordanian army, joined by the UAE, France, Germany and Belgium, carried out seven airdrops on 3 Aug that delivered 61 tonnes of food and other supplies. France said it would follow with a 40-tonne drop and repeated its plea for Israel to open additional land routes for aid. The U.N. Security Council will convene an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the hostage crisis and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.