Ben Gvir calls for end to hostage talks, accuses Hamas of ‘deliberately stalling’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accuses Hamas of “deliberately stalling” negotiations for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal in the almost five-month-old war in Gaza, and calls for an end to the ongoing talks.

“Hamas is deliberately delaying the talks, with the aim of either continuing in Ramadan or coming to a full halt because of Ramadan,” he says during an Otzma Yehudit faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

“This foot-dragging does not advance the return of the hostages, this foot-dragging risks the safety of our soldiers, our position and our reputation, and puts us in a situation where they’re watching us slowly get weaker,” he says.

“We must intensify the war, this is the only way we’ll win.”

War erupted after Hamas’s brutal massacre in southern Israeli communities, when thousands of terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and kidnapped another 253 to Gaza, mostly civilians, amid horrific acts of brutality.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a wide-scale offensive in Gaza, with the aim of destroying the terror group’s military and governance capabilities and returning the hostages, over half of whom remain in captivity.