Israel responds to Hamas’s threat to cancel hostage deal

Defense Minister Katz: “Hamas’s announcement that it will halt the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

On Monday, Israel responded to Hamas’s announcement that it would suspend the hostage release deal, stating that Hamas, not Israel, had violated the agreement.

A Hamas spokesman on Monday accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire agreement and claimed that the IDF had targeted Palestinians in Gaza.

In response, the Israeli government issued a statement: “The terrorist organization is responsible for the violations. Members of the delegation who returned from Qatar this morning stated that Hamas’s actions jeopardize the continuation of the deal.”

Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, also condemned Hamas’s decision, saying: “Hamas’s announcement that it will halt the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. I have instructed the IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to ensure the defense of communities near the border. We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7th.”

Katz referred to an incident on Sunday in which the IDF fired warning shots at a crowd of Gazans who violated the ceasefire agreement by entering the buffer zone and approaching Israel’s border near Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

According to media reports, three people were killed in the incident.

Following the event, Katz stated: “Israel’s security stance on Gaza remains firm: Anyone entering the buffer zone does so at their own risk. There will be no tolerance for those who pose a threat to IDF forces, the border region, or nearby communities.”

Regarding Hamas’s decision to halt hostage releases, the Prime Minister’s Office reassured families, saying: “All hostage families were updated this evening following Hamas’s announcement. They were assured that the State of Israel remains fully committed to the agreement and views any violation of it with utmost seriousness.”

Otzma Yehudit Chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir urged the government to respond to the cancellation of the hostage releases with a full-scale assault on Gaza, “from the air and the ground,” and to halt all deliveries of humanitarian aid.

Ben Gvir declared: “We must resume the war and destroy them!”