Israeli tanks advanced deeper into several residential districts of Gaza City on Sunday, intensifying a ground offensive that has trapped hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and left emergency services unable to respond to desperate calls for help . The incursions pushed further into the Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan, and Al-Naser neighborhoods, closing in on the heart of the city and western areas where a significant number of civilians are sheltering . This military push has created a catastrophic situation for those who remain in the city, with local health authorities reporting they are unable to reach dozens of injured people amid the ongoing bombardment.
In a significant development, the military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced it had lost contact with fighters holding two Israeli hostages in Gaza City . The group stated the lives of the captives were in "real danger" due to the intense Israeli military operations in the Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa districts over the previous 48 hours. Hamas issued an urgent call for Israel to pull its troops back from these areas and suspend aerial sorties for 24 hours to allow for an attempt to locate and retrieve the two captives. The Israeli military did not directly comply with the request and instead issued new evacuation orders for parts of Gaza City, including Sabra, signaling its intention to continue attacks and raze buildings in the area.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza City has deteriorated sharply under the renewed assault. The Gaza Civil Emergency Service revealed that Israel had denied 73 requests, sent via international organizations, to rescue injured Palestinians trapped in the city . The Gaza health ministry reported at least 77 people were killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours, with the overall Palestinian death toll since the start of the war surpassing 66,000 . The United Nations has highlighted the intensified suffering, noting that several health facilities and community kitchens in Gaza City have been forced to shut down this month, exacerbating the famine conditions that experts say are already present.
The escalating military crisis casts a shadow over potential diplomatic efforts. The comments on the hostages came just ahead of a scheduled meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump . While Trump had recently expressed optimism that "a deal on Gaza" seemed likely, Hamas stated earlier on Sunday that it had not yet received a new proposal to end the war from mediators . The group has consistently said it will never give up its weapons as long as Palestinians are struggling for a state, while Netanyahu insists Hamas must be defeated militarily.