The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said Sunday that contact had been lost with fighters guarding Omri Miran and Matan Angrest after “brutal military operations and violent targeting in the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods during the last 48 hours.” “The lives of the two captives are in real danger, and the occupation forces must immediately withdraw to the south of Road 8 and halt aerial sorties for 24 hours starting at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT), until an attempt is made to extract the two prisoners,” the group said.

Earlier this month, Hamas released what it described as a “farewell picture” of captives in Gaza in another attempt to pressure the Israeli army as it continues to systematically destroy Gaza City and displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Israel says 48 captives remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive. Despite mounting international accusations of genocide and growing protests by Israeli families demanding a comprehensive deal to bring back all captives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has refused to halt the war. Relatives and supporters of the captives increasingly blame the government for their prolonged captivity.

The political wing of Hamas said in a separate statement Sunday that it had not received any new ceasefire or peace proposals from mediators Qatar and Egypt, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly predicted an imminent truce in recent weeks. The group confirmed that negotiations remain frozen after Israel attempted to assassinate senior Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9, as they gathered to review a new ceasefire proposal presented by Trump.

Still, Hamas said it is “ready to study any proposal from the brother mediators with positivity and responsibility, in a manner that preserves the national rights of our people.” Meanwhile, far-right Israeli ministers reiterated on Sunday that they oppose Trump’s 21-point peace plan — or any deal that would end the war before Hamas is eliminated. (Aljazeera)