Hamas says contact lost with 2 Israeli hostages in Gaza City amid relentless attacks

By Nour Abuaisha and Rania Abu Shamala

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) – The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Sunday that it had lost contact with two Israeli captives amid relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza City.

The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said communication with captives Omri Miran and Matan Angrest was cut off as a result of “barbaric military operations and heavy bombardment” in Gaza City’s Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods over the past 24 hours.

“The captives’ lives are in real danger,” it warned in a statement.

The group demanded that Israeli forces immediately withdraw to the south of Street 8 in Tel al-Hawa and halt air sorties for 24 hours starting 6 p.m. local time, to allow attempts to secure the two hostages.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on Hamas’ statement.

On Monday, the Israeli army pushed deep several meters north of Tel al-Hawa in southwestern Gaza City, as part of Tel Aviv’s attempt to occupy the entire city and relocate its residents to the south.

Israel estimates 48 of its citizens are held captive in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive. Meanwhile, around 11,100 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, where they face torture, starvation, and medical neglect, with many deaths reported, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights sources.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.