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- Hamas posts undated video showing Israeli hostage Avera Mengistu alive
Hamas posts undated video showing Israeli hostage Avera Mengistu alive
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed – who voluntarily crossed the border into Gaza separately in 2014 and 2015 – have been held by Hamas ever since
Hamas posted an undated video on Monday reportedly showing Avera Mengistu, one of the two Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, alive and still in custody.
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed – who voluntarily crossed the border into Gaza between 2014 and 2015 – have been held by the Islamist militant group ever since, as have the bodies of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin and Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, who were killed during the 2014 war there.
In the video, Mengistu can be heard asking for help from Israel for his release: "I am the prisoner Avera Mengistu. How long will I be held captive here? Where is the state and the people of Israel?"
If the authenticity of the video were to be confirmed, it would be the first proof of life of Mengistu – who is known to have a history of mental illness – since he was captured. In June 2022, Hamas conducted a similar stunt when it announced the "medical deterioration" of one of the hostages, which was thought to be a provocation ahead of the eighth anniversary of the 2014 Gaza War.
Israel did not immediately confirm that it was Mengistu in the video.
Minutes before the video was published, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen channel reported that the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, would "reveal information today that will cause the incoming Chief of Staff to rethink everything regarding the issue of the missing soldiers in Gaza," citing its sources in the Palestinian enclave and referring to Israel's Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who was sworn in earlier Monday.
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Despite past reports of Hamas and Israel reaching understandings on a prisoner exchange – which would include the six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from Israel's Gilboa prison last year before being recaptured – one has not transpired. After years of calling on the Israeli government to facilitate their release, the families of the two hostages and two dead soldiers have increasingly turned to the international community for help.
Last month, they met with Pope Francis at the Vatican as part of their continuous efforts to raise international awareness of the issue. Accompanied by Israel's ambassador to the Vatican and the head of the Diaspora and Religion Division at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the families requested the assistance of the Pope and the Catholic Church in returning the bodies and the hostages. The Pope promised to work with governments and religious leaders for their return.