The families of Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip demanded on Saturday that their country's government conclude a deal this week to stop the war and exchange prisoners with Palestinian factions, threatening escalation if this does not happen.

This came during a press conference held by a number of these families in front of the Israeli Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, during which they accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the completion of the deal.

The families said, in a statement read during the conference, that "Netanyahu is obstructing the completion of the deal (cessation of war and exchange of prisoners) by adding new conditions" during the talks, according to the private Hebrew newspaper "Israel Today."

She warned that "this is the last chance" to save the lives of their sons who have been detained in Gaza for more than 10 months.

The families also warned that failure to complete the deal "will ignite the entire region," referring to fears of a wider regional war.

She added: "Every day that passes without reaching an agreement is a gamble with the lives of the kidnapped (Israeli prisoners in Gaza) and the future of the region."

"A deal must be done this week," she continued.

The families of the prisoners threatened to escalate a major protest across the country if a deal is not reached this week.

At the conclusion of two days of talks in Doha with the participation of mediators (Egypt, Qatar and the United States) and Israel, and the absence of Hamas, the mediators announced, via a statement on Friday, that the United States had presented a new proposal to reduce the gaps between Israel and the movement, revealing further talks in Cairo before the end of next week to move forward in efforts to reach an agreement.

Washington, which says the Doha talks are proceeding in a "positive atmosphere," hopes that reaching an agreement between Hamas and Israel to stop the war and exchange prisoners will help dissuade Iran and Hezbollah from responding to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, and party leader Fouad Shukr in Beirut the day before.

While details of the new US proposal have not been revealed, a joint Egyptian-Qatari-US statement said it was "consistent with the principles set out by President Joe Biden on May 31, 2024."

A statement issued by Netanyahu, following the conclusion of the Doha talks, showed his government's adherence to conditions that Hamas absolutely rejects, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Mossad chief David Barnea had previously warned that they would hinder reaching a deal.

These conditions include "controlling the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, and preventing the return of Palestinian faction fighters to northern Gaza."

A Hamas leadership source said, "What the movement's leadership was informed of today regarding the results of the Doha ceasefire meetings does not include commitment to what was agreed upon on July 2," without further details.

At the end of last May, Biden presented the terms of a deal offered to him by Israel "to stop the fighting and release all the kidnapped (Israeli prisoners in Gaza)," and Hamas accepted it at the time, according to Hebrew media.

On July 2, mediators presented Hamas with the terms of a framework for a ceasefire agreement based on Biden’s proposal.

Hamas was absent from the Doha negotiations in which Israel participated, demanding that Tel Aviv first be bound by what was previously agreed upon on July 2.

Hamas complains that the talks continue "without end", and accuses Israel, with the help of the United States, of procrastinating in those talks, presenting one proposal after another, and placing obstacles in its way through new conditions to extend the war, in the hope that it will be able to achieve a victory that will save its face.