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Monday, January 16, 2023
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Monday, January 16, 2023
Brother of Avera Mengistu says he is ‘not 100%’ sure Hamas video is of captive
The parents of Avraham Avera Mengistu protest outside the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem, September 11, 2016. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
Yallo Mengistu, the brother of captive Avera Mengistu, says he is not sure if it is his brother in a video released today by Hamas, who has been holding him hostage in Gaza since 2014.
“I’m excited and scared at the same time” watching the video, Yallo tells Channel 12 news. “He looks like Avera, but on the other hand, it’s not 100% Avera.”
“There’s a similarity, but… I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,” he says. “I can’t tell you for sure that it’s him.”
The family has not seen any photos or videos of Mengistu since he crossed over into Gaza more than eight years ago. His family says that Avera is mentally ill and has desperately appealed over the years for international actors to secure his freedom.
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