Gaza death toll surpasses 66,000 as 79 more killed in Israeli strikes

Hamas urges Israel to halt strikes as it searches for two hostages

GAZA:  The death toll in Gaza has climbed to over 66,000, according to the territory’s health ministry, which reported that 79 more bodies were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours.

The ministry, run by the Hamas-led administration, said women and children account for nearly half of the fatalities.

United Nations officials and independent experts regard the ministry’s figures as broadly reliable despite the lack of distinction between civilians and fighters. Meanwhile, Gaza City residents described a night of relentless explosions, believed to be demolitions carried out using explosive-laden vehicles and robots.

Meanwhile, Hamas’s armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on Sunday as it tried to locate two Israeli hostages it had lost contact with.

“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 wrote in a statement.

The two hostages, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran, went missing during intense Israeli military operations in two Gaza City neighbourhoods.

“The al-Qassam Brigades announce the loss of contact with the two prisoners … due to the brutal military operations and violent attacks in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighbourhoods over the past 48 hours,” the group said, referring to areas where Israeli forces have stepped up air and ground assaults.

The statement also demanded that Israel halt air sorties for 24 hours in parts of Gaza City starting at 6pm local time to remove the hostages from danger.

Israel says 48 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The call for a 24-hour halt to air sorties came as Israeli tanks on Sunday moved deeper into Gaza City’s residential districts, closing in on the heart and the western areas of Gaza City where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering.

The Israeli push into Gaza City’s residential areas came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump on halting Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war. Key Western allies have joined a growing list of countries recognising a Palestinian state over Israeli objections. The EU is considering sanctions against Israel and there are growing moves for a sports and cultural boycott against Israel. Monitoring Desk