Relative of former hostage Avera Mengistu, Gil Elias, told Maariv on Sunday that the former captive is slowly returning to life, but carries deep scars from his imprisonment.
Mengistu was released from Hamas captivity in the latest hostage-ceasefire deal in February after more than 10 years in Gaza.
“The situation is complicated,” Elias said. “Avera is recovering – he was in Hamas captivity for ten and a half years, and that’s not easy. In recent months, he’s been able to open up more, but he’s still traumatized by everything he went through there.”
According to him, Mengistu speaks very cautiously about his time in captivity and often stops himself mid-sentence. “He barely talks about the captivity itself, but he does mention that he was moved between families, from one family to another.
“Almost every two weeks, they transferred him from place to place, from tunnel to tunnel. Today, we understand that almost every family affiliated with the organization had tunnels inside their homes.
“He says, ‘Yes, I was with a family, and then they’d take me down somewhere.’ He would remain in that place with a guard, and if he needed the bathroom or anything else – he had to ask for everything.”
“He doesn’t describe or share much beyond that — he shuts down if asked for more details. He describes the tunnels by saying: ‘I would go downstairs and arrive at a place.’ If you try to understand the depth or get more specific details, he struggles to explain.”
Remembering entering and exiting Gaza
Despite the difficulty in recalling most of the details, there are moments that remain etched in his memory – the moment he entered Gaza, and the moment he left.
“He mainly remembers entering Gaza,” Elias recounted. “He says he saw soldiers at the entrance who asked him, ‘Where are you going?’ He told them he was just passing through, and they simply let him go — that’s something he’s able to describe. He also remembers the end, the release, when the soldiers received him.”
“Avera is doing relatively okay, especially with the family. He’s trying to open up. For someone who was held in Hamas captivity for ten and a half years, it’s going to be a long recovery. But if the state truly makes an effort and provides all the resources and support, it’s possible to help him heal and bring him fully back.”
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