US envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday met the anguished families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack.

Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, two sources told ABC News.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee had a "very productive meeting" with Netanyahu on delivering food and aid to Gaza.