Families and supporters of hostages starving in Gaza have erected a barbed-wire protest camp in Tel Aviv.

The protest is intended to increase pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, after footage released by Palestinian terror groups revealed the conditions in which Israelis are being held.

Families will sit in the camp to draw attention to the hostages’ plight, saying the footage of two hostages shows they are “dying in captivity”.

A statement from the Hostage Family Forum read: “Against the backdrop of horrifying footage and harsh reports about the hostages’ condition – hostage families will cry out this morning in the heart of Tel Aviv.

“A barbed wire fence compound will be erected in Hostages Square, family members will sit imprisoned within it – and cry out the desperate plea of their loved ones who are dying in captivity.”

Supporters and families of hostages hope the barbed-wire camp will put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu - Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock

A spokesman added that the group was calling on the Israeli and US governments to “stop this nightmare and bring them out of tunnels and home”.

On Saturday, Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East met the families of Israeli hostages still in captivity, 22 months after Hamas’s Oct 7 terror attack.

Video footage online showed Steve Witkoff arriving in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, an area that has become known for protests, to be greeted with applause and pleas for help.

A propaganda video posted this week by Palestinian Jihad showed hostage Rom Braslavski, and footage shared by Hamas showed hostage Evyatar David. The latter video was shared on social media, leading to criticism by his family.

On Sunday, the Mr David’s family accused Hamas of tormenting him with hunger as part of a propaganda campaign.

The family said in a statement: “Hamas is using our son as a live experiment in a vile hunger campaign. The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen.”

Mr David’s sister said: “Those who have seen it now understand how serious it is and the physical condition Evyatar was in.”

Hostages Square has become the site of protests against Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Hamas war - Jack Guez/AFP via Getty

Mr Witkoff told families at the protest: “A majority of Israelis want the hostages at home, and a majority of Gaza’s public wants the return of hostages because they want the rehabilitation of the Strip.

“There is no victory without bringing everyone home; all of you have become part of my family.”

Reports in Hebrew media suggested that Mr Witkoff stayed at the meeting in Hostages Square for several hours.

Mr Witkoff met Mr Netanyahu on Thursday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, and on tackling the famine experts say is happening there.

Shortly after Mr Witkoff’s arrival, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social network: “The fastest way to end the humanitarian crises in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages!”

Following a meeting between Mr Witkoff and Mr Netanyahu, a senior Israeli official said the two sides agreed that all hostages should be released, in addition to disarming Hamas and demilitarising the Gaza Strip.

Steve Witkoff is Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East - AFP via Getty

Mr Netanyahu has been under increasing pressure from the hostages’ families to reach a deal to secure their release.

Earlier this week, thousands of Israeli reservists called on Mr Netanyahu to stop the fighting and instead focus on a deal to bring back the remaining hostages.

But at the same time, the prime minister has been under pressure from those on the far-Right of his coalition government to keep the war in Gaza going.

Without their support, his government would probably collapse, causing an election many believe he could not win.

Food distribution shootings in Gaza

On Saturday, hospitals in Gaza reported Israeli fire had killed more than a dozen people, including eight who had been looking for food.

Yahia Youssef, who had been looking for aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site, said he saw people lying on the ground bleeding. “It’s the same daily episode,” he said.

The US and Israeli-backed GHF said that “nothing happened at or near our sites”.

It has been reported for weeks that people looking for food are being shot, stabbed or trampled to death, during rushes to get hold of vital life-saving aid.

Israeli soldiers have been accused of shooting at ordinary Gazans, although Israel insists Hamas infiltrates the aid distribution.

In parallel, countries such as Jordan, the UK and France have co-ordinated to drop vital aid into the war-torn strip from the air.

They have restricted what reporters aboard the planes are able to show, but the Washington Post has published a number of photos showing parts of the Gaza Strip that have been severely affected by Israel’s bombing.

Many buildings have been flattened, partially or totally destroyed, with hundreds of thousands of Gazans forced to live in makeshift tents wherever there is space. The territory’s skyline is blackened, with smoke pouring out of some buildings.

Sign up to the Front Page newsletter for free: Your essential guide to the day's agenda from The Telegraph - direct to your inbox seven days a week.