This is Avera Mengistu, a Jewish Israeli of Ethiopian descent who suffers from mental illness. He turned 32 today.

His family & friends can't celebrate his birthday with him: He is being held captive in #Gaza by Hamas in violation of international law and basic human decency. Four gears ago, #Hamas took Avera - an innocent civilian - as a prisoner. Since then, his family have heard nothing from him. They have no proof that he's even alive, as the International Red Cross has been denied access to him.

Locked up in #Gaza for the crime of being Jewish.

1. After Trump's declaration 6 months ago, I went to Damascus Gate in Jerusalem and asked Arabs there what they thought of the decision to move the US embassy. Most were dismayed, but didn't justify violence. Some explicitly told me that they were upset with America, not Israel. 2. Today, over 35 people have died in Gaza so far. It seems to me that Hamas used this sequence of protests to whip up latent dismay and convert it into potent hatred and violence against Israel.

Thread: Observations on the MarchForReturn protest in #Gaza on Friday. #Israel was aware that thousands were likely to attend the protest. The #IDF warned people to not breach the fence, and brought many soldiers to cover the border in case hundreds of people broke through.