Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian-born Israeli, was released by Hamas on Saturday, February 22, after more than 10 years in captivity.Footage released by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shows Mengistu reuniting with his family at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel.Mengistu was imprisoned by Hamas in 2014 after crossing into Gaza from Israel. According to
Human Rights Watch, Mengistu had a history of mental health issues which may have motivated his impromptu and unauthorized border crossing.Mengistu is one of the latest hostages released as part of the
ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. He and
Tal Shoham were the first of 6 scheduled for release on Saturday. Credit: IDF via Storyful