Witkoff meets Israeli hostage families

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, met families of the hostages being held by Hamas in Tel Aviv and he told them that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would end the war in Gaza. We speak to Ruby Chen, father of Itay, a 19-year-old dual American-Israeli citizen who was taken hostage in Gaza in October 2023.

Also in the programme: The Vatican has been hosting the first ever "Jubilee of Catholic Influencers" this week in an effort to harness the power of social media; and, the documentary film 'An Unlikely Fandom' takes us behind the scenes of a community of Thomas The Tank Engine fans that spans the globe. The film's director Brannon Carty reminisces about the beginning of the iconic steam train's long journey and its creation during the Second World War.

Our presenter Rebecca Kesby is joined by Negah Angha, a US State Department and National Security Council official under the Biden administration and Matthew Green, a British journalist and author.

(Photo:Ruby Chen, father of deceased U.S.-Israeli hostage Itay Chen, whose body is held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sits on a park bench. March 13, 2024/Reuters)