'Hamas tried to dupe Israel over captive's release'

Terror group agreed to free Avraham Mengistu, then attempted to substitute Eritrean national, Channel 2 reports

Israel negotiated months ago with Hamas for the release of one of its nationals held captive in the Gaza Strip, but the terror group attempted to deceive soldiers and hand over an Eritrean national instead, Channel 2 reported on Monday night.

Several weeks after Avraham Mengistu, 28, was captured by Hamas after crossing into the coastal enclave last September, the Israel Defense Forces held secret talks with Hamas to free Mengistu on humanitarian grounds.

Hamas agreed to hand over “the Ethiopian” — as they referred to Mengitsu, who is of Ethiopian origin. However, on the day of the exchange, Hamas tried to pass off an Eritrean national, who had crossed into Gaza seeking employment, as Mengistu.

The IDF soldiers realized the captive was not Mengistu and prevented the Eritrean from entering Israel, the report said.

Hamas has refused to confirm whether it is holding Mengistu and has not made any demands in exchange for his release. A senior Palestinian official based in the Gaza Strip denied that the group was holding the young man. According to the official, Mengistu was briefly held by the group but was released a short while later after Hamas interrogators determined he was not a soldier. The official further claimed that the Israeli left the coastal strip via a tunnel to Sinai, apparently in an attempt to reach Ethiopia.

At a rally in Gaza City last Wednesday, however, Hamas displayed a huge model fist holding a mock-up of fallen soldier Oron Shaul’s ID card and two other army IDs with question marks on them, implying that it holds two Israeli soldiers captive. (Mengistu, who is said to be suffering from unspecified mental issues, was not accepted for IDF service.)

Israel has made clear that it holds Hamas ultimately responsible for the welfare and safety of Mengistu and another, still unnamed, Israeli citizen being held in Gaza since April.

Senior Israeli officials have also made clear that there will be no Palestinian prisoners exchanged for the two missing Israelis, and that it is treating both cases as an humanitarian issue. According to Channel 2, this decision has been conveyed to the families of the two men.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.