Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir previously visited Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound on July 17 and said he had prayed there in defiance of longstanding rules
Itamar Ben Gvir AFP

A far-right lawmaker and Israel's former national security minister is calling for a "massive fire assault" on Gaza after Hamas announced it was pausing hostage releases.

Hamas announced Monday it would postpone any further hostage-prisoner exchanges, accusing Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.

Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X that Israel should also implement "a total halt to all humanitarian aid, including electricity, fuel, and water, and even targeting aid already seized by Hamas."

"It's time to return to war and eliminate the threat once and for all!" he wrote, according to a translation from Hebrew.

The ceasefire that went into effect on January 19 largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Five groups of Israeli hostages have been freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody.

A spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that the next hostage release, "which was scheduled for next Saturday, February 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice", accusing Israel of failing to comply with the terms of the truce.

The spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said the resumption of hostage-prisoner exchanges was "pending the (Israeli) occupation's compliance and retroactive fulfillment of the past weeks' obligations", without specifying.

"We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them," he said.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group said it had "requested assistance from the mediating countries to help restore and implement the existing deal effectively".

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Hamas announcement was a "complete violation" of the ceasefire agreement, signaling that fighting could resume.

"I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza," Katz said.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and 251 being kidnapped into Gaza.

An estimated 73 hostages remain in Gaza but it's unknown how many of them are dead.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the war has killed at least 48,208 people but doesn't break down civilian and combatant deaths.

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The AFP contributed to this report.

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