President Reuven Rivlin met on Monday evening with the family of Avera Mengistu, a mentally-disabled Israeli who has been held by Hamas in Gaza since he crossed the border in 2014. At the meeting, the president emphasized his commitment to return Avera to his home and his family, saying, "Avera is the son of all of us. I will work to bring him home. His place is at home in the care of his family and parents."
Later in the meeting Agranash, Avera's mother, described her difficulty in dealing with the uncertainty of her son's fate. Agranash thanked the president for the meeting and the willingness to help, saying, "I'm hanging my hope on you. You are as responsible for his fate as the prime minister. We appreciate that you spent time on the eve of the ninth of Av, the [anniversary of the] destruction of the Temple, to meet and hear the story of Avera in the hope that good news will come."