Relatives of Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip said on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government ministers are deliberately sabotaging a prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian factions for political purposes.

This came in a press conference organized by the families of the prisoners in front of the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv.

According to the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority, a relative of one of the prisoners in the Gaza Strip said: “Netanyahu and his ministers continue to be the main obstacle to the deal. Whoever declares that he does not intend to end the war does not want to recover the prisoners.”

He added: "Whoever adds new conditions at the last minute before completing the deal is imposing a death sentence on the prisoners."

He continued: "We remember how Netanyahu launched a political game in July called the Philadelphi Corridor (between the Gaza Strip and Egypt), and today we are talking about a new manipulation of the lists of prisoners."

The father of one of the prisoners in Gaza called on US President-elect Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu, saying that he "is trying to deceive you, you may be the last person able to pressure the prime minister."

He continued: "Do not accept a partial deal that would be a death sentence for the remaining prisoners and would not lead to ending the war."

“Netanyahu and his extremist partners are sacrificing civilians and soldiers for the sake of their political illusions,” said a relative of another prisoner.

On Wednesday, Hamas announced the postponement of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip due to Israel setting new conditions related to withdrawal, prisoners, and the return of displaced persons.

Hamas said in a statement: "The ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations are proceeding in Doha with Qatari-Egyptian mediation in a serious manner, and the movement has shown responsibility and flexibility."

She continued: "The (Israeli) occupation set new issues and conditions related to withdrawal, ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of the displaced, which delayed reaching the agreement that was available."

On Wednesday, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (official) said that there are tangible difficulties in the negotiations with Hamas regarding the path of the exchange deal.

The agency quoted informed sources as saying, "The negotiations have not reached a dead end, and we are at a stage where the political level must make decisions."

The opposition and the prisoners' families accuse Netanyahu of obstructing reaching an agreement to preserve his position and government, as extremist ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threaten to withdraw from the government and bring it down if a complete end to the war on Gaza is accepted.

The prisoner exchange negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have faltered more than once, due to Netanyahu’s insistence on “continuing control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt, and the Rafah crossing in Gaza, and preventing the return of Palestinian faction fighters to northern Gaza by searching returnees through the Netzarim corridor in the middle of the Strip.”

For its part, Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and a complete cessation of war, in order to accept any agreement.

Tel Aviv is holding more than 10,300 Palestinians in its prisons, while it estimates that there are 100 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas announced the killing of dozens of its prisoners in random Israeli raids.