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 two hostages, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran, went missing during intense Israeli military operations in two Gaza City neighbourhoods. 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. Gaza City residents reported hearing sounds of explosions overnight across the city, likely coming from the demolition of buildings through the detonation of explosive-laden vehicles and robots. Cairo has criticised Israel's ongoing air and ground assault in Gaza City, where the United Nations estimated a million people resided before the offensive began.