Brother of released Hamas captive Avera Mengistu goes missing
Police ask public for assistance in search for Ashgara Mengistu, 33, who disappeared after leaving his mother’s home in Ma’ale Adumim on Sunday
The brother of the released Hamas captive Avera Mengistu has been missing for two days, the Israel Police said on Tuesday, asking the public for assistance in locating him.
Police said in a statement that Ashgara Mengistu, 33, left his mother’s home in Ma’ale Adumim, outside Jerusalem, on Sunday and has not been heard from since.
Police described Mengistu as 1.75 meters tall, with black hair. A resident of the southern port city of Ashkelon, he speaks Amharic, the statement said.
A major search operation was underway around Zvulun, in the Haifa area, the Kan public broadcaster reported. According to the outlet, Mengistu was last seen in the north of the country on Sunday.
His brother Avera, 38, entered the Gaza Strip of his own accord in 2014, in a state of mental distress. He was arrested by Hamas shortly after entering the coastal enclave.
The terror group claimed he was an Israeli soldier, although he was never drafted to the military, having been declared medically unfit for service back in 2003.
On-and-off negotiations over the years failed to bring about Mengistu’s release until February 2025, when he was freed with several other captives during a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
In total, Mengistu spent 3,821 days in captivity. Upon his release from Gaza, Mengistu was admitted to Ichilov Hospital, where he underwent intensive physical and psychiatric treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in July last year.
According to a Jewish Telegraph Agency report from 2017, Mengistu had six brothers and three sisters, though an elder brother, Michael, died in 2012. Michael’s death was a catalyst for Avera’s mental state when he entered Gaza, according to reports.
The Mengistus hail from Ashkelon’s working-class Ethiopian-Israeli community, and his family struggled over the years to rally public support or pressure the government to secure his release.
Some relatives alleged racism, and contrasted his plight with that of soldier Gilad Shalit, a cause célèbre who was freed in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian inmates.
The Times of Israel Community.