‘Finally it’s happening. I know he’s still alive’: Families of Israeli hostages await nervously the return of their loved ones

The fate of captives held by Hamas is in the balance until they are finally swapped for Palestinian prisoners For over a decade the world seemed to have forgotten Avera Mengistu. An Israeli Jew of Ethiopian heritage, who reportedly had mental health issues, Mengistu was 28 when he entered the Gaza Strip voluntarily on 7 September 2014 after a dispute with his mother.