The last surviving Israeli hostages returned home this week. Amidst this joyous news, however, are three sobering facts. The first is that we still await the return of those hostages who were murdered by their captors. The second is that the newly freed living hostages had spent two years of their lives deprived and tortured by Palestinian terrorists. The third, which was forgotten by journalists and social media commentators alike, is that for some former Hamas hostages, their plight lasted far longer.
Specifically, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both Israeli nationals with mental health issues, were taken hostage by Hamas in 2014 and 2015, respectively. They were freed only in February 2025 after a decade of unimaginable suffering. Both were found in severe mental and physical distress upon their release.
Avera Mengistu reunited with his family in Israel in February. Courtesy: GPO
Unfortunately, their plights were ignored by CNN. On CNN This Morning, Kaitlan Collins falsely stated: “The first time in two years, Wolf, over two years that no hostages have been in the hands of Hamas.” She would later repeat the same error, stating: “We are covering a historic moment here in Israel because, for the first time in two years, over two years – 738 days – Hamas holds no living hostages in its captivity.”
Uncharacteristically, the Free Press also repeated the claim in an article, a post on X, in an email to subscribers: “For the first time in two years, there are no living hostages in Hamas captivity.”
While celebrating the release of the twenty living hostages this week, we must not so carelessly forget the injustices inflicted on Mengistu and al-Sayed. Likewise, we must not overlook the suffering of the families of the deceased hostages whose bodies remain in Gaza.
See here for the Hebrew version of this post.