The "hiatus" is real, but can be presented as a hoax.
Presented as an unexplained break in global warming, it's a hoax. It's been known for a long time that the oceans were absorbing the heat. To suggest that global warming has mysteriously been on "hiatus" due to a drop in surface temperatures alone is highly misleading.
An analogy I've used before is someone predicting that a roof leak will cause a bucket to fill at a certain rate. But then it turns out that there is a small hole in the side of the bucket and when the water reaches it, it starts leaking out onto the floor. The "hiatus" hoax is to say "See, your predictions about the roof leak were wrong, alarmist! Look at how the bucket hasn't filled to the level you've predicted!"