Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Monday that "gates of hell will open" if Hamas refuses to release all Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

"Hamas should make no mistake, this is just the beginning. If Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the Gaza gates will be locked and the gates of hell will open," Katz said at an event in Tel Aviv. In addition, he stressed that Israel has the intention to resume the war against Hamas in Gaza, stressing that the Palestinian militant group "will face the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] with strength and methods that it has not known, until [Hamas] is totally defeated."

Katz's remarks follow earlier comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who threatened that Hamas will face consequences it "cannot imagine" if it does not return the hostages.