Avera Mengitsu, an Ethiopian-Israeli citizen who has been held by Hamas for nearly ten years, turned 38 in captivity in Gaza on Thursday, his brother Ilan told Army Radio on Friday.
Mengitsu, whose family said had suffered from mental health issues, crossed the border to Gaza on September 7, 2014.
Ilan Mengitsu said, "If the government had not been indifferent to the humanitarian issue of Avera - it would have been possible to bring him back a long time ago."
Before October 7, the known Hamas hostages were Hisham al-Sayed (an Israeli-Bedouin) and Avera Mengitsu. The two were believed to be living. The bodies of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin were also held in Gaza.