Mengistu family sees ‘new developments’ in effort to return son Avera from Gaza

The brother of Avera Mengistu, an Israeli man being held by Hamas in Gaza, tells Hadashot television news that there are “new developments” in the efforts to bring Mengistu home.

Ilan Mengistu speaks after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, in a meeting described by the Prime Minister’s Office as “part of the ongoing contact the prime minister has maintained with the families of the soldiers and civilians held by Hamas.”

“It was a very important meeting,” Ilan says afterwards. “We were updated on new developments. Naturally, I can’t give details about what was said at the meeting, but the government has a very strong sense that there are opportunities here,” Ilan adds.

Avera Mengistu has been in Gaza since he crossed over the fence of his volition in September 2014. He is known to be mentally ill, and his family fears for both his physical and mental health in Hamas custody.

Ilan says that despite the assurances the family apparently received from the prime minister, the Mengistu family would “continue to sit in our protest tent” outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem “until we see the steps and actions that we have called for…. I think this is a humanitarian issue. This is a civilian who has no connection to the conflict, and the government needs to hold its head high and demand that his rights be protected.”