Sunday marked a decade since Avera Mengistu, an Israeli from Ashkelon then 28 years old, was captured by Hamas in Gaza.
To commemorate this grim milestone, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum organized a rally at the “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv.
Ten years ago, in the aftermath of the 2014 Gaza war (“Operation Protective Edge”), Mengistu breached the border fence near Zikim Beach and was subsequently captured by Hamas. He had struggled with mental health issues.
Until the events of Oct. 7, Mengistu was among a small group of Israelis being held in Gaza. This group included the bodies of soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and St. Sgt. Oron Shaul, captured during “Operation Protective Edge,” and Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin from southern Israel who crossed the fence in 2015.
A decade later, and in the wake of the devastating attack on southern Israeli communities and the onset of the Iron Swords War, these four men, along with 97 Israelis abducted on Oct. 7, remain in Gaza.
Ayelin Mengistu, Avera’s father, shared his family’s anguish at Sunday’s rally: “We’ve endured 10 years of darkness. Unrelenting darkness. Our family finds no rest, day or night. We’re tortured by uncertainty—is he healthy or ill? Is he eating? Sleeping? Receiving medical care? Each day, I pray that I won’t die before seeing him again.”
The gathering drew family members, friends and relatives of those taken captive in the past year. Among those present were Avera’s parents, Agarnesh and Ayelin Mengistu, his brother Ilan, Tzur Goldin (brother of Hadar Goldin) and Sha’aban al-Sayed, father of Hisham al-Sayed.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
