TEL AVIV — The fast-moving events of the crisis that erupted Monday over the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, and the acts of brinkmanship and muscle flexing by all sides, are placing at risk the Israel-Hamas ceasefire at the halfway point of the delicate phased deal. 

Israel’s government security forum convened Tuesday morning to discuss Monday’s Hamas announcement that it was suspending the next stage of the hostage release, scheduled for Saturday, because Israel had violated parts of the deal. Hamas has so far handed over 16 of the 33 hostages it promised to free during the first, six-week stage of the staggered arrangement and is believed to still be holding a total of 76, many of them likely dead, who are supposed to be released in the second phase of the deal starting next month. 

The renewed threat to further hostage releases has terrified family members, who prepared to once again step up their local and international campaign for their freedom. 

At the same time, Israeli officials were leaking plans to resume the war against Hamas, recapture positions in Gaza from which the military had retreated in recent days and renew detention of the Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails under the deal. The military has also instructed units deployed in and around the Gaza Strip to raise their level of alert and announced plans to call up reserve troops.