Have Israel, Hamas reopened backchannel to discuss swap deal?
A Palestinian source has claimed that in recent messages between Israel and Hamas over the communication channel established for the Gilad Shalit exchange, Hamas has admitted to holding Israeli civilian Avraham Mengistu.
The family of Avraham Mengistu, an Israeli citizen being held in Gaza, demonstrated at the Erez crossing point on Aug. 27, protesting Hamas having held Mengistu for a year now. This was the second public protest initiated by the family this month. Their goal is to put the plight of their son on the national agenda and to compel the government to launch a diplomatic effort to bring about his release.
On Aug. 17, the family and assorted volunteers demonstrated beside Hadarim Prison in the Sharon region, while the families of Palestinian prisoners visited their incarcerated relatives. The Mengistu family and its supporters were trying to send flyers into Gaza reading that their son is emotionally unstable and should be released for humanitarian reasons. But while this demonstration officially targeted the families of Palestinian prisoners, it was actually directed at Israeli decision-makers. Having seen the public campaign for the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, the members of the Mengistu family apparently estimate that if they fail to win widespread public support for their cause, the country’s decision-makers will be in no rush to enter into negotiations with Hamas that would lead to another release of Palestinian prisoners.
Dozens of Israelis joined the demonstration at the Erez crossing. Most of them were social activists, trying to make Mengistu’s captivity a topic of daily discourse. Avraham's brother Ilan spoke with Palestinians who happened to be at the border crossing and asked them to pressure Hamas to release his brother.
Al-Monitor has learned from a senior Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, that an active channel for relaying messages between Hamas and Israel has been operating for the past few weeks. It is the same channel that was used when Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was held prisoner. In the most recent messages, Hamas has admitted for the first time that it is holding Mengistu and a Bedouin civilian whose name has been banned from publication by the Israeli authorities.
