File Photo: A view of destroyed buildings is shown following Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip. AP
"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.
In a previous announcement, Hamas said contact was lost due to Israel's relentless bombardment and ground invasion in two southern Gaza City neighborhoods over the past 48 hours.
One of the captives' fathers told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Hamas had lost contact with his son, who is being held in Gaza.
"You cannot see it from the outside, but every day another layer of sorrow builds within us," Dani Miran said at a captive families’ protest in New York, according to Haaretz.
"Netanyahu is destroying everything in this country," said former captive Ilana Gritzewski, whose partner, Matan Zangauker, remains in Gaza.
"He lied to my face. Two months ago, he promised me he would bring Matan and all the others home." Instead, Gritzewski added, "Netanyahu chose to bomb Matan and the other hostages. He chose death over life."
Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza has killed at least 66,000 Palestinians and injured more than 168,000, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel’s relentless bombardment has destroyed homes and critical infrastructure, forcibly displacing the vast majority of the population.
Healthcare, water, and electricity services have already collapsed, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to basic necessities. Experts warn that famine is spreading rapidly across the enclave.
The United Nations, human rights organizations, and international legal bodies have strongly condemned the scale and systematic nature of the Israeli military campaign, with many characterizing Israel’s war on Gaza as genocide, citing the deliberate targeting of civilians and critical infrastructure that has driven Gaza into total collapse.
A total of 48 captives are still being held in Gaza, with about 20 believed by Israel to still be alive.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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