Hostage exchange ends decade of waiting for two families

Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al Sayed were taken captive after crossing into Gaza

Avera Mengistu, left, and Hisham Al Sayed, right, are embraced by family members after being released by Hamas in Gaza on Saturday. GPO via Reuters

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Two of the Israelis released from Gaza on Saturday have been held captive for a decade, with their families unaware of whether they were alive or dead for most of that time.

Avera Mengistu, 38, and Hisham Al Sayed, 37, who are both reported to have mental health issues, were captured by Hamas after crossing into Gaza within months of each other.

Mr Mengistu was born in Ethiopia and moved with his family to the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon at the age of five. In September 2014, he crossed into Gaza from the Zikim beach on the strip’s northern border. His family received the first indications he was alive from Hamas more than eight years later, in January 2023.

“Our family has endured 10 years and five months of unimaginable suffering,” his family said in a statement issued on Saturday. “During this time, there have been continuous efforts to secure his return, with prayers and pleas, some silent, that remained unanswered until today.”

“It’s hard to process that they’re going to see him after 10 years,” said Gil Elias, a lawyer representing the family. “It’s really a miracle.”

Hamas militants present Avera Mengistu, right, and Tal Shoham, on a stage in Rafah before releasing them to the Red Cross on Saturday. Reuters

Mr Mengistu was released on Saturday morning alongside Tal Shoham, one of the hostages seized during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Mr Al Sayed, a Bedouin Israeli from the Negev who disappeared after crossing into Gaza in April 2015, was the last hostage to be released on Saturday. He was handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza city without the public ceremony seen at the release of all the other hostages freed so far. He had made a previous attempt to enter Gaza in 2010 and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hamas released a video in June 2022 showing Mr Al Sayed lying in a bed wearing an oxygen mask.

His family released a statement saying they “are overwhelmed with emotion at Hisham’s return home".

“After nearly a decade of fighting for his return, the long-awaited moment has finally arrived. We extend our gratitude to the entire people of Israel, who stood by us and supported us over the years. A special thanks to the families of the hostages and the headquarters that embraced us and saw us as a natural part of the struggle to bring everyone home,” they said.

“Now, more than ever, we emphasise the importance of continuing the framework that will bring all the hostages home – the living for rehabilitation and the fallen for a proper burial in Israel.”