How many South Africans know the names Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed? How many of us have heard their stories? For ten years, these two men were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, yet their plight was met with silence. This Saturday, they will finally return home, but their release is not a moment of triumph, it is a stark reminder of the world’s selective morality and failure to stand up for people in marginalised communities . Why did it take so long? And why were they forgotten in the first place?
The forgotten hostages
Avera Mengistu is an Ethiopian Israeli man who moved to Israel when he was five years old. His family of twelve lived in Ashqelon, a low-income community near the border of Gaza ,where they experienced high levels of poverty .Avera also had a long history with mental illness, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and his condition deteriorated when his brother died in 2011. Given his compromised mental state and proximity to the border, Avera unintentionally jumped the fence to enter Gaza in 2015. Upon entering Gaza, Avera was taken by Hamas and was never to be seen by his family again.
Hamas admitted to the captivity, claiming that he was a soldier. This was dispelled because Avera was never conscripted to the IDF due to his evident mental condition. Even with this information, Hamas has kept him detained in Gaza as a captive stripping him of his freedom and right to access medication — further crippling his wellbeing.
A year later, Hisham Al-Sayed who is a Bedouin Arab Israeli (another minority group) faced the same fate. He was diagnosed with a mental health condition and also suffers from multiple physical illnesses including vertigo, loss of hearing and tinnitus. Due to his mental condition, he was known to cross into restricted areas like the West Bank, Jordan and Gaza. He was always returned back to Israel but when he crossed into Gaza in 2015 , Hamas immediately captured him. Up until June 2022, there was no proof that Hisham was alive.
Avera and Hisham were not soldiers, nor were they part of high-profile prisoner exchanges. They were two civilians who unintentionally crossed into Gaza and disappeared into Hamas’s hands. Their families pleaded for help. Israel called for their return. Yet, the world remained silent.
Why? Because they did not fit the narrative. These two men belonging to marginalised groups were not worthy of outrage. Their names never trended. Their stories never made headlines. Human rights organisations, usually vocal about the treatment of human rights violations, had little to say. This silence revealed and uncomfortable truth: the world picks and chooses whose pain deserves attention.
Hamas, knowing the world was indifferent, saw no reason to release them.
The world's indifference
The silence around Mengistu and Al-Sayed’s captivity is not just neglect, it is complicity. Their plight should have been an international cause, a rallying cry against the brutality of hostage-taking. Instead, they were abandoned for years. Their suffering exposes an uncomfortable truth: the world picks and chooses whose pain is worthy of attention. It is selective outrage based on political convenience rather than universal principles. This failure is particularly shameful for the South African government, a government that has long prided itself on advocating for human rights on the global stage. We have spoken loudly on the injustices committed by the Israeli government but failed to name the atrocities committed by Hamas and hold them to the same standard.
The cost of inaction
The global failure to fight for Mengistu and Al-Sayed had consequences far beyond their own suffering. It sent Hamas a clear message: hostage-taking works. When the world shrugged at the indefinite captivity of two civilians, it empowered Hamas to escalate. If there had been international pressure, if their release had been a diplomatic priority, perhaps Hamas would not have felt so confident in taking hundreds more on October 7 2023.
Now, as hostages are released through negotiations, we must recognise that this crisis did not begin in 2023. It began years ago when the world decided some hostages were not worth saving.
Coming home: Too little, too late?
This Saturday, Mengistu and Al-Sayed will step back into a world that forgot them. Their families will finally embrace them after a decade of unimaginable pain. But this moment is tainted by the reality that their freedom could have come much sooner if only the world had cared. If our advocacy is truly about justice, then we must ensure it applies universally. Hostage-taking is not just an Israeli problem or a political bargaining chip. It is a crime against humanity. Until the world commits to treating every hostage with the same urgency, history will continue to repeat itself.
As these men return to a world that has changed without them, may we recognise the shared pain of all victims of this conflict and demand justice for all.
BLESSING MATHABELA | 10 years a hostage: The forgotten victims of Hamas are coming home
Image: RAMADAN ABED/REUTERS
How many South Africans know the names Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed? How many of us have heard their stories? For ten years, these two men were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, yet their plight was met with silence. This Saturday, they will finally return home, but their release is not a moment of triumph, it is a stark reminder of the world’s selective morality and failure to stand up for people in marginalised communities . Why did it take so long? And why were they forgotten in the first place?
The forgotten hostages
Avera Mengistu is an Ethiopian Israeli man who moved to Israel when he was five years old. His family of twelve lived in Ashqelon, a low-income community near the border of Gaza ,where they experienced high levels of poverty .Avera also had a long history with mental illness, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and his condition deteriorated when his brother died in 2011. Given his compromised mental state and proximity to the border, Avera unintentionally jumped the fence to enter Gaza in 2015. Upon entering Gaza, Avera was taken by Hamas and was never to be seen by his family again.
Hamas admitted to the captivity, claiming that he was a soldier. This was dispelled because Avera was never conscripted to the IDF due to his evident mental condition. Even with this information, Hamas has kept him detained in Gaza as a captive stripping him of his freedom and right to access medication — further crippling his wellbeing.
A year later, Hisham Al-Sayed who is a Bedouin Arab Israeli (another minority group) faced the same fate. He was diagnosed with a mental health condition and also suffers from multiple physical illnesses including vertigo, loss of hearing and tinnitus. Due to his mental condition, he was known to cross into restricted areas like the West Bank, Jordan and Gaza. He was always returned back to Israel but when he crossed into Gaza in 2015 , Hamas immediately captured him. Up until June 2022, there was no proof that Hisham was alive.
Avera and Hisham were not soldiers, nor were they part of high-profile prisoner exchanges. They were two civilians who unintentionally crossed into Gaza and disappeared into Hamas’s hands. Their families pleaded for help. Israel called for their return. Yet, the world remained silent.
Why? Because they did not fit the narrative. These two men belonging to marginalised groups were not worthy of outrage. Their names never trended. Their stories never made headlines. Human rights organisations, usually vocal about the treatment of human rights violations, had little to say. This silence revealed and uncomfortable truth: the world picks and chooses whose pain deserves attention.
Hamas, knowing the world was indifferent, saw no reason to release them.
The world's indifference
The silence around Mengistu and Al-Sayed’s captivity is not just neglect, it is complicity. Their plight should have been an international cause, a rallying cry against the brutality of hostage-taking. Instead, they were abandoned for years. Their suffering exposes an uncomfortable truth: the world picks and chooses whose pain is worthy of attention. It is selective outrage based on political convenience rather than universal principles. This failure is particularly shameful for the South African government, a government that has long prided itself on advocating for human rights on the global stage. We have spoken loudly on the injustices committed by the Israeli government but failed to name the atrocities committed by Hamas and hold them to the same standard.
The cost of inaction
The global failure to fight for Mengistu and Al-Sayed had consequences far beyond their own suffering. It sent Hamas a clear message: hostage-taking works. When the world shrugged at the indefinite captivity of two civilians, it empowered Hamas to escalate. If there had been international pressure, if their release had been a diplomatic priority, perhaps Hamas would not have felt so confident in taking hundreds more on October 7 2023.
Now, as hostages are released through negotiations, we must recognise that this crisis did not begin in 2023. It began years ago when the world decided some hostages were not worth saving.
Coming home: Too little, too late?
This Saturday, Mengistu and Al-Sayed will step back into a world that forgot them. Their families will finally embrace them after a decade of unimaginable pain. But this moment is tainted by the reality that their freedom could have come much sooner if only the world had cared. If our advocacy is truly about justice, then we must ensure it applies universally. Hostage-taking is not just an Israeli problem or a political bargaining chip. It is a crime against humanity. Until the world commits to treating every hostage with the same urgency, history will continue to repeat itself.
As these men return to a world that has changed without them, may we recognise the shared pain of all victims of this conflict and demand justice for all.
READ MORE:
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Netanyahu says Israel will end Gaza ceasefire if hostages not returned on Saturday
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