Islamic Jihad says hostage tried to kill himself after new Israeli conditions delayed swap deal with Palestinians
An Israeli hostage was rescued after attempting to commit suicide in captivity in Gaza, the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said on Thursday.
Abu Hamza, a spokesman for the group's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, said the hostage was prevented from killing himself three days ago.
“He tried to commit suicide after the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government set new conditions that led to the failure and delay of negotiations for his release,” he added on his Telegram account.
"The captive was scheduled to be released as part of a group of prisoners who met the conditions and criteria of the first phase of an exchange deal with the (Israeli) enemy," the spokesman said, without giving further details.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the report.
Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a cease-fire in Gaza have so far failed due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the war.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, the Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 45,600 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
