Former hostage Avera Mengistu leaves hospital after five months of rehabilitation

Mengistu, 39, who has a history of mental instability and entered Gaza on his own accord, was freed in a deal with Hamas alongside hostages Hisham al-Sayed, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert.

Cohen, Shem Tov, Shoham and Wenkert were all abducted during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, while al-Sayed also suffered from mental illness and voluntarily crossed into Gaza on April 20, 2015.

After Mengistu regained his freedom, his brother Ilan told local media: “There’s a generally good feeling, but he has a long rehabilitation ahead.”

“Avera came back alive and physically well. Despite the hell he endured, his condition is stable,” he continued. “We believe he will only improve.”

Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, 49 of whom were abducted to the Strip during the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7. The remains of Israeli soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin have been held in Gaza since 2014.

Officials in Jerusalem believe that at least 20 of the hostages remain alive, 655 days after Oct. 7.