The brother of the former Hamas hostage Avera Mengistu has been missing for two days, with police asking the public for assistance in locating him.
Police say in a statement that Ashgara Mengistu, 33, left his mother’s home in Ma’ale Adumim, just outside Jerusalem, on Sunday, and has not been heard from since.
Police describe Ashgara as 1.75 meters tall, with black hair. A resident of the southern port city of Ashkelon, he speaks Amharic, the statement says. A major search operation is underway in the Haifa District, Kan says. According to the outlet, Ashgara 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, amid mental distress. He was arrested by Hamas shortly after entering the coastal enclave. He was freed only in February 2025, with several other captives, during a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
I want to see it
I want to see it
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
