This piece was originally published by The Jewish News of Northern California.
As the world breathes a collective sigh of relief over the cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, with the first seven hostages now released, I find myself unable to fully join in the celebration. For over a year, global attention has been focused on the hostages taken by Hamas during their heinous attack on Oct. 7. However, my thoughts keep circling back to an Israeli citizen whose plight preceded this tragic chapter nearly a decade ago and who has been ignored until now.
Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian Israeli man with mental health challenges, crossed into Gaza in 2014. His name, his story and his humanity have been largely overlooked by the international community — and even within Israel itself. For years, his family has lived in agony, their pain amplified by a sense of invisibility.
The announcement of the agreement should have marked a moment of long-overdue justice for Avera Mengistu and his family. Even though his name is on the list of 33 hostages scheduled to be released in the first phase of the cease-fire agreement, he should have been among the first to come home. In fact, he should have been freed long ago.
He has been in captivity for 10 long years. Has he never been a priority because of his mental disability? His identity as an Ethiopian Israeli? Or the sheer length of his captivity, as though a decade in darkness somehow made his suffering less urgent?
These are questions that haunt me, as they speak to a broader societal failure to see Avera Mengistu as a full human being with inherent dignity, worthy of compassion and action.
As a fellow Ethiopian Israeli, I find this moment bittersweet. The anticipation of his impending release is tinged with the pain of feeling overlooked, undervalued and marginalized for so many years. This is not just about one man; it’s about the values we uphold as a society. Whom do we prioritize? Whose lives do we deem worthy of urgent action?
I pray that this deal will be finalized peacefully and that every hostage will come home to their families. I pray for Avera Mengistu. I pray for Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli and another long-held captive in Gaza who was seized in 2015. His name is on the phase one list as well. I pray for all those who have been forgotten in the shadows of geopolitics.
As we celebrate the return of the hostages, let us commit to ensuring that no one is left to feel as though their life matters less. For all those still waiting, may we never forget, may we never repeat the mistakes of the past, and may we build a future that honors every human life.
