Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades say it saved Israeli hostage attempting suicide

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas’ military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Friday that they managed to rescue an Israeli prisoner who had attempted suicide in captivity.

“We rescued, a few days ago, in the final moments, one of the enemy's prisoners after he attempted suicide in his place of captivity,” the armed wing said in a statement on Telegram.

They added: “We hold the enemy and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu personally responsible for the deteriorating physical and mental health of some of the enemy's prisoners.”

Tel Aviv believes 134 Israelis are being held in Gaza, while Israel is holding 9,000 Palestinians in its jails.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion last year that killed about 1,200 people.

Tel Aviv’s war has since killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while some 78,500 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into Israel’s genocidal war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory.

It also ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and asked it to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to Gaza’s civilians.

* Writing by Rania Abu Shamala