Six freed hostages reunite with families, head to hospital for treatment

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he was moved by former hostage Avera Mengistu's release on Saturday.

"I am touched and embrace you.  All the people of Israel are with me, embracing you today," he told the 38-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli on a phone call. 

Netanyahu thanked the Mengistu family for continuing to work for his release and for not losing hope.

"The Prime Minister expressed sorrow over the length of time Avera was held captive and promised that he would assist Avera and his family in the process of absorption and rehabilitation," the Prime Minster's Office said in a statement. 

Four of the six recently released hostages' families have chosen not to reveal their medical condition at this time, Director of Beilinson Hospital Dr. Lena Koren Feldman said in a Saturday statement. 

"Omer, Eliyah, Tal, and Omer went through a difficult period in captivity. At the request of the families, we will not provide details about their condition," she said. 

"At this time, a multidisciplinary team is conducting a comprehensive evaluation with personalized adaptation for each of the hostages.  Some of the hostages experienced difficult events on the day of the abduction and afterwards; we will provide them with comprehensive and personalized treatment, including emotional and rehabilitative support during hospitalization and also after release as needed."

In about an hour, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a physical meeting in Jerusalem with Defense Minister Katz and other senior officials from the Defense Ministry. 

They will discuss Saturday's delayed release of 600 terrorists, as well as what's next with the hostage deal. 

The forensics team that identified Shiri Bibas's body has confirmed that she did not die in an Israeli airstrike as Hamas had previously claimed. 

"We were met with depths of evil and malice that could not be conceived," Dr. Chen Kugel, a leading forensic scientist from the National Center for Forensic Medicine, said on Saturday. "Our examination showed no evidence of injury from the bomb."

"This is a difficult day for us and for all citizens of Israel," he concluded. 

Former hostage Hisham al-Sayed is heading to Ichilov Hospital in an Israeli air force helicopter, accompanied by his family, where he will be reunited with other members of his family and will receive medical treatment.

Hostage Omer Wenkert is flying to Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikvah to meet the rest of his family and undergo medical treatment, the IDF spokespersons’s unit announced Saturday.