Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian-born Israeli, was detained in 2014 after crossing into Gaza on his own.

AFTER an entire decade of harrowing uncertainty, Avera Mengistu is home at last. The Ethiopian-born Israeli hostage, who spent a harrowing 3,821 days in Hamas captivity, was released in Rafah on

This is part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which stipulates that a total of 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees being held in Israeli prisons would be released in return for 33 Israeli hostages. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been freed since the first phase of the three-phase deal began on 19 January.

Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of placing the Gaza truce in grave danger after the government delayed release of Palestinian prisoners due to be freed after militants released six hostages a day earlier.

Hamas will not hold talks with Israel through mediators on any further steps in the fragile, phased ceasefire agreement unless Palestinian prisoners are released as agreed, group official Basem Naim told Reuters on Sunday.

Hundreds of Palestinians supposed to be freed on Saturday are still in prison, which Hamas called a blatant breach of the Gaza cease-fire deal.

Hamas on Sunday (February 23) condemned Israel's decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, saying its claim that the hostages' handover ceremonies are "humiliating" was false and a pretext to evade Israel's obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.