India, Feb. 13 -- Amid the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement hitting an impasse, Israel's defence minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning to Hamas on Wednesday, declaring that "all hell will break loose" if the militant group fails to release hostages this weekend, as agreed under the deal.

Katz's statement upped tensions as mediators scrambled to salvage the ceasefire that has paused the ongoing war in Gaza.

The ceasefire impasse was triggered by accusations from Hamas that Israel had failed to meet certain commitments under the truce, such as the delivery of aid and tents, which led to the group's decision to delay the release of hostages on Saturday.

There were "positive signals" the hostages would be released as planned, but tha...