The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement’s armed wing, Al Quds Brigades, said on Wednesday some Israeli hostages have attempted suicide after it started treating them the same way Israel treated Palestinian prisoners.

“Some enemy prisoners have attempted suicide as a result of the extreme frustration they are feeling due to their government’s neglect of their cause,” Al Quds Brigades spokesperson Abu Hamza said in a post on Telegram.

“We will keep treating Israeli hostages the same way Israel treats our prisoners,” he added.

The Palestinian militant group did not specify what measures it had taken against Israeli hostages.

Arab mediators’ efforts, backed by the US, have so far failed to conclude a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas says any deal must end the war and bring full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel says it will accept only temporary pauses in fighting until Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, is eradicated.

A possible deal would also see the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in return for the freedom of Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons.

Hezbollah commander

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday killed a senior Hezbollah commander as tensions between the two sides continue to boil, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press.

The strike near the southern coastal city of Tyre took place as global diplomatic efforts have intensified in recent weeks to prevent escalating clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military from spiralling into an all-out war that could possibly lead to a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran.

A Hezbollah statement identified the killed commander as Mohammad Naameh Nasser, who went by the name “Abu Naameh”, his nom de guerre.