The Palestinian group Hamas’s announcement that it would suspend the release of captives held in Gaza has divided Israeli society.

Hamas said on Monday that the suspension was a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on January 19. The Palestinian group cited the delayed return of displaced people to different areas of Gaza and not allowing the entry of all aid that had been agreed upon as part of the deal.

And on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country would resume its bombing of Gaza if Hamas did not continue the release of captives on Saturday.

If the ceasefire breaks down, it would mean that Israeli captives still held in Gaza would remain in the enclave, much to the anger of Israeli society. The question now is where Israelis will turn that anger.

Family members of the captives have already protested in Tel Aviv with most relatives and groups advocating for the captives calling on the Israeli government to ensure the deal does not fail and that it moves on to a phase two that would secure the release of all the remaining captives.

But many in Israel – and within the government – opposed the ceasefire from the outset, arguing that the war in Gaza, in which Israel has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, should end only with the complete defeat of Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that he agrees with this, putting the next stages of the deal in jeopardy.

And United States President Donald Trump’s comments have also led to uncertainty. He has said the US should take over Gaza and displace the Palestinians there – an act that would in effect be ethnic cleansing – and has also called for all Israeli captives to be released by Saturday, saying “let all hell break out” if they are not.

Why has Hamas paused the exchanges?

Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on Monday: “The resistance leadership monitored the enemy’s violations and their noncompliance with the terms of the agreement. … Meanwhile, the resistance fulfilled all its obligations.”

According to officials in Gaza, Israel has killed more than 25 Palestinians since the ceasefire began. Israel has also fallen short in the supply of desperately needed aid, including tents, food and medical supplies. Moreover, of the 1,000 desperately sick or injured people Israel agreed to allow out of Gaza for medical treatment, only 120 have so far been allowed to travel, the Ministry of Health said.

While Israeli officials confirmed to The New York Times that Hamas’s claims against Israel were accurate, the Israeli government has officially denied them, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Hamas’s declaration was “a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

What have the captives’ families said?

Demonstrators led by the families of the captives blocked one of Tel Aviv’s main highways on Monday in protest at what they see as the government’s mishandling of the ceasefire.

“We demand the government of Israel not fall victim to the terror group’s spin and ensure that the door that was opened will not be shut,” a statement issued late on Monday from the Hostages Families Forum said in response to Hamas’s announced pause.

Throughout the war, family members of the captives have grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu and his government, blaming them for not prioritising the release of those held in Gaza.

In September after the discovery of the bodies of six deceased captives in Gaza, more than half a million people took to the streets across Israel and joined a general strike announced by the trade union Histadrut to protest against the government’s failure to reach a deal with Hamas that would see the captives’ return.

How have the ceasefire’s far-right critics in Israel responded?

Israel’s far right has made it clear that its priority is the defeat of Hamas and the illegal takeover of Gaza – along with the expulsion of its 2.3 million Palestinian residents.

January’s agreed halt in the fighting drew strong criticism from the far right, which has grown in influence in Israel.

Chief among them is former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned from his cabinet position after the ceasefire was agreed, objecting to the truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli captives. Many of the thousands of Palestinians held by Israel are imprisoned without charge, and some of those released have emerged gaunt and showing signs of torture. Prisoner rights groups have said dozens of Palestinians have died in Israeli jails, and cases of rape have also been documented.

In tandem with Ben-Gvir, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was widely reported to have been persuaded to remain in government only in return for assurances from Netanyahu that Israel would resume its war on Gaza, irrespective of the terms of the ceasefire.

Responding to news that the prisoner exchange would be paused, Ben-Gvir wrote on social media: “Hamas’s announcement should have one real-life response: a massive fire attack on Gaza, from the air and land, alongside a complete halt to humanitarian aid to the Strip, including electricity, fuel, and water, and including the bombing of aid packages that have already been brought in and are in Hamas’ hands in Gaza. We must return to war and destroy!”

Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have previously placed less importance on the captives’ welfare when weighed against their own ambitions for the war on Gaza. In February of last year, Smotrich angered many of the families of those held in Gaza by saying their return was “not the most important thing”. Ben-Gvir, for his part, boasted in January that he had “repeatedly foiled” efforts to halt the fighting in exchange for the captives’ return.

Where does this leave Netanyahu?

According to observers, the collapse of the ceasefire and the reignition of Israel’s war on Gaza might benefit the prime minister.

Netanyahu’s critics have frequently voiced the opinion that the prime minister has been prolonging the war and thereby delaying the captives’ release to increase the distance between him and his alleged failings during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel as well as to avoid conviction in the corruption cases filed against him in 2019.

In June, frustrated by Netanyahu’s reluctance to press ahead with the US ceasefire plan presented the previous month, former US President Joe Biden told Time magazine that there was “every reason for people to draw” the conclusion that Netanyahu was perpetuating the conflict for his own political ends.

Even the prospect of the ceasefire’s collapse and early elections could ultimately be in Netanyahu’s interests, one of his former aides and political pollster Mitchell Barak previously told Al Jazeera. “New elections would make any government a transitional one,” Barak said, pointing to the absence of any obvious successor. “Anything that gives Netanyahu time is always good for him. He’s done this before.”