>As ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are reportedly stalled, Jerusalem threatens massive escalation against the terror group.By World Israel News StaffDefense Minister Israel Katz promised severe consequences for Hamas should it continue holding kidnapped Israelis as hostages, amid reports that ceasefire talks between Jerusalem and the terror group are faltering.“If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open on Gaza,” Katz said at a ceremony in the central Israeli city of Holon on Sunday evening.“Beyond what we are already doing with great force, we will do much more. We will protect the hostages and strike everything connected to Hamas until they are released. We will do whatever it takes,” he added.Katz’s threat is not the first time Israeli leaders have warned of unleashing “hell” on the Gaza-based terror group.During a March ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Katz made a near-identical threat, warning the terror group to respect the terms of the truce.“Make no mistake, Hamas — this is just the beginning. If Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the gates of Gaza will close, and the gates of hell will open,” Katz said at the time.“This conflict will end with two clear outcomes: the release of all our hostages and the total defeat of Hamas’s rule in Gaza,” he added.In February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israel would “open the gates of hell” if all hostages held by Hamas in the coastal enclave were not released.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in January that Israel was waiting for then-president-elect Donald Trump to take office before intensifying its military campaign against Hamas.As soon as Trump takes office, Israel would “open the gates of hell on Hamas,” Smotrich said.On Sunday, the IDF announced a daily ten-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid for the civilian population.The post Israel repeats threat to ‘open gates of hell’ on Hamas appeared first on World Israel News.