Hamas’s armed wing said on Sunday it has lost contact with two Israeli hostages in Gaza City and urged Israel to withdraw forces and pause air operations for 24 hours so its fighters can reach them.
The fate of the pair—whose families have asked that their names be withheld—could overshadow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
Israel has intensified its ground assault on Gaza City, with entire districts levelled and mass displacement to tent camps, in what Netanyahu describes as a final bid to destroy Hamas in its last redoubt. Despite the escalation, recent days have brought increased talk of possible steps toward a diplomatic end to the nearly two-year war; Trump said on Friday a Gaza deal “seemed likely.”
Hamas says no new peace proposal received
Earlier on Sunday, Hamas said it had not received a new proposal to halt the war. Netanyahu has insisted Hamas must lay down arms or face defeat, while the group says it will not disarm while Palestinians continue to seek statehood.
The Al-Qassam Brigades called on Israel to pull back from the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa areas southeast of central Gaza City and to suspend overflights for 24 hours from 1500 GMT to allow access to the two captives it says are trapped.
Israel did not address the request directly, but signalled operations would continue, ordering residents to leave parts of Gaza City including Sabra ahead of planned strikes and demolitions against what it called Hamas targets.
Residents and medics reported Israeli armour pushing further into Sabra, Tel al-Hawa, and the nearby Sheikh Radwan and Al-Naser neighbourhoods, edging toward the city centre and western districts sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 77 people were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours. Local health officials said they were unable to respond to numerous emergency calls from trapped residents. Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service said late on Saturday that Israel had denied 73 requests—submitted via international organisations—to evacuate wounded in Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
War toll and displacement
Hamas launched the war with its Oct. 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken, according to Israeli figures. Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
Gaza’s medical authorities say more than 66,000 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign. Most homes have been damaged or destroyed, and 2.3 million people face a severe humanitarian crisis. The Israeli military says Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, has lost governing capacity and now operates as a guerrilla force.
Operations intensify
Israel launched its long-signalled ground push into Gaza City on Sept. 16 following weeks of intensified strikes. In the past 24 hours, the military said its air force hit 140 targets across the enclave, including militants and what it described as military infrastructure.
The World Food Programme estimates 350,000–400,000 people have fled Gaza City since last month, though hundreds of thousands remain. The Israeli military estimated about one million Palestinians were in the city in August.