Lost contact with 2 hostages: Hamas; 77 killed in 24 hrs, says Gaza ministry

CAIRO: The military wing of Hamas said on Sunday it had lost contact with two Israeli hostages held in Gaza City , and called on Israel to pull troops back and suspend airstrikes for 24 hours so fighters could retrieve the captives. The fate of the two hostages, which has strong domestic resonance in Israel, could cast a shadow over a meeting between Israeli PM Netanyahu and US President Trump on Monday.

The Hamas military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, called on the Israeli military to pull troops back from the Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa districts southeast of Gaza City's centre, and suspend flights over the area for 24 hours from 1500 GMT so it could reach the two trapped hostages.

The Israeli military did not directly comment on the request but made clear it had no plans to halt its advances by ordering all residents of parts of Gaza City to leave.

The Gaza health ministry said in a statement that at least 77 people had been killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours.

(This is a Reuters story)