39-year-old Avera Mengistu, 39, and Hisham Al-Sayed, 37, returned to their families in Israel on Feb 22 after being held hostages by Hamas for more than a decade.
They are among the six hostages released by Hamas as part of the Jan 19 Gaza ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
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They are among the six hostages released by Hamas as part of the Jan 19 Gaza ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
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NewsTranscript
00:0039-year-old Avra Mengistu finally reunited with his family on Saturday after being abducted
00:08by Hamas for more than a decade.
00:10Mengistu, who is suffering from mental problems, crossed into Gaza in September 2014, where
00:17he was captured and interrogated by Hamas.
00:2037-year-old hostage Hisham al-Sayed, who also has a history of mental illness, also returned
00:26to his family under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and
00:31Hamas.
00:32Al-Sayed wandered into Gaza from the east in April 2015 and was detained by Hamas, which
00:38claimed that he was an Israeli soldier.
00:41The two are among the six hostages and the last living hostages from a group of 33 who
00:46were released by Hamas on Saturday.
00:49The other released hostages are Tal Shoham, who was abducted from Kibbutz Berri while
00:54visiting his wife's family, as well as Elia Cohen, Omer Shemtov and Omer Wenkert, who
01:00were taken from the Nova Music Festival site during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
01:08On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said they will delay the
01:13release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners who were due to be freed in exchange of the
01:18six hostages.
01:19They said the return of the prisoners will be delayed until the next release of their
01:24hostages is secured, without humiliating ceremonies.
01:28This came after Hamas returned the body of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, who Israel said
01:33was killed in November 2023.
01:37Hamas angered Israel when forensic specialists confirmed that the body released on Thursday
01:42was not that of Bibas.
01:44Hamas said her remains appeared to have been mixed with others from the rubble after an
01:49Israeli airstrike hit the place where she was held.
01:52Families of the Palestinian detainees are frustrated with Israel after a long wait in Ramallah.
02:20Hamas said Israel's decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement and a clear
02:26violation of the terms of agreement.
02:28They said the ceremonies do not include any insult to the hostages, but rather reflect
02:33the humane and dignified treatment of the hostages.