Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 22, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Families of Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham delighted at loved ones’ return
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Hostages Tal Shoham (left) and Avera Mengistu, surrounded by armed fighters, stand on a stage in Rafah as they are released by the Hamas terror group in Rafah on February 22, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)
With Avera Mengistu back in Israeli hands, his relative Gil Elias tells the Walla news site that the hostage’s return after 10 years “is a dream.”
“The day has come and we’re so excited,” he says. “Here he is, after years that we’ve been waiting for him. The first thing I’ll say to him is, ‘We’ve waited for you too long, I’m sorry.'”
The family of Tal Shoham was overjoyed to see both hostages on their feet, Walla reports.
The site cites his aunt Nora and uncles Ariel and Gadi as saying he “looks a little pale, a bit thin… he’ll recuperate. We’re a strong family.”
“We’re just waiting to hug [him], not question or bug him. Let him recover,” they say.
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