The mission reportedly failed to identify Mengistu, and also did not detect Hamas' preparations for an attack, sources familiar with the matter told KAN.

The IDF carried out a special mission to locate Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu on October 6, 2023, a day before the October 7 massacre, according to a report by Israeli public broadcaster KAN News on Wednesday.

The mission reportedly failed to identify Mengistu, and also did not detect Hamas' preparations for an attack, sources familiar with the matter told KAN.

The report also noted that the Mengistu family had not been informed of the mission while it was happening, and that they only learned of it long after it had occured.

Mengistu came back home earlier this year, during the ceasefire reached with Hamas in February 2025, after 11 years of captivity in Gaza.

Who is Avera Mengistu?

Mengistu is an Ethiopian Israeli who immigrated to the country at the age of 5 with his family as part of Operation Solomon. He grew up in Ashkelon.

He suffered from lifelong mental health issues and crossed voluntarily into the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014. Authorities believe that his mental decline was due to the death of his older brother, Michael, who suffered from anorexia and died at the age of 29.

The now-38-year-old was 28 years old when he crossed into northern Gaza after fighting with his mother, according to Human Rights Watch. Hamas captured him after he crossed and claimed that he was a soldier, a claim his family heavily disputed.

According to KAN, a gag order was placed for a year on the events that led to his kidnapping. The report noted that soldiers allowed him to cross the border while monitoring him.

Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.