After an agonizing 10 years and five months, Avera Mengistu is finally home.
The Ethiopian-born Israeli, who spent 3,821 days in Hamas captivity, was freed on Saturday in Rafah as part of a fragile ceasefire agreement.
Mengistu, captured in 2014 after crossing into Gaza, was released alongside Tal Shoham, an October 7 hostage.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the two men crossed back into Israel and were received at a military checkpoint before being reunited with their families and airlifted to medical facilities for further evaluation.
A Decade in Captivity
Mengistu’s family endured over a decade of uncertainty, pleading for his release while receiving little to no information about his condition.
“Our family has endured ten years and five months of unimaginable suffering,” his relatives said in a statement.
While Shoham appeared visibly pale and underweight, Mengistu was seen in relatively stable condition, retaining a similar body weight to when he was taken.
Upon his return, Mengistu was emotionally reunited with his family at an IDF facility near the Gaza border.
An IDF-released video showed him embracing his loved ones tightly after years of separation.
“Avera Mengistu’s family has suffered his absence for a decade, not knowing if he was safe or even alive. Today, they can finally hold him again,” the military stated.
The Fight for More Hostage Releases Continues
Mengistu and Shoham were among the six hostages freed in this latest exchange, marking the first releases in Rafah under the ceasefire agreement.
However, their families emphasized that the struggle to bring back all captives is far from over.
“We must not miss this window of opportunity,” the Shoham family urged.
“Children need their fathers. We must return all hostages home: the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for eternal rest.”
