Three hundred people gathered on Sunday for a rally in Tel Aviv to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the disappearance in Gaza of Avera Mengistu, an Israeli citizen of Ethiopian origin.
The 32-year-old is being held incommunicado by Hamas, who are demanding Israel release prisoners in exchange for him.
The rally was held by the Mengistu family and volunteer organisations to try and keep his case alive in the Israeli public sphere.
Mr Mengistu had a history of mental problems and shifted in and out of jobs and psychiatric hospitals, following his elder brother’s death in 2011.
On September 17, 2014, he was spotted by Israeli soldiers, near Zikkim beach, walking towards the border with Gaza, at a spot where the fence was being replaced. The soldiers did not stop him as they thought he was a Sudanese refugee.
Since he entered Gaza, all contact with him has been lost and there was a gag-order on his disappearance for two years. He is currently being held in Gaza, along with two other Bedouin-Israelis thought to have mental health issues who are also thought to have crossed the border.
Hamas have so far refused to pass on any information regarding their welfare and are demanding that any information or their release be part of a large prisoner exchange that would also include the physical remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in 2014, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
At the rally on Sunday night, Mr Mengistu’s family members and activists of the Ethiopian-Israeli community complained of a lack of activity on his behalf from the government. “If this wasn’t a black person, matters would be different,” said Avi Yalau, a prominent activist.
