Hamas urges Israel to pause Gaza strikes to search for missing hostages

Hamas’s armed wing on Sunday called on the Israeli military to suspend air strikes and pull back from parts of Gaza City, saying it had lost contact with two Israeli hostages.

“The lives of the two prisoners are in real danger, and (Israeli) forces must immediately withdraw to the south of Street 8 and halt aerial operations for 24 hours starting from 18:00 today to allow attempts to rescue the prisoners,” the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

The group earlier blamed the loss of contact on Israeli military operations in two southern Gaza City neighbourhoods over the past 48 hours, where air and ground assaults have intensified. In the past, Hamas had also claimed to lose contact with an Israeli-American hostage, who was later freed.

Israel has repeatedly urged Palestinians in Gaza City to move south as its offensive continues. Addressing the United Nations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas, despite mounting global criticism.

Since launching its offensive on Gaza City, the Israeli military has repeatedly ordered Palestinians to move south.

Speaking at the United Nations, Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas, despite sharp international condemnation following the intensification of the offensive.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Of the 251 people abducted during the attack, 47 remain held in Gaza, including 25 whom the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 66,005 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the UN deems reliable.