David Cunio was abducted from his home in Nir Oz on October 7, 2023 alongside his wife Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their then-3-year-old twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, sister-in-law Danielle Aloni and then-5-year-old niece. Cunio’s young daughters, who just celebrated their fifth birthday on July 2, may finally see their dad return home after over two years in Hamas captivity.
Terrorists set fire to the Cunio home and he was able to escape with Yuli before being captured by terrorists wearing civilian clothes, his wife told the New York Times.
The 35-year-old Agrentine-Israeli is one of four generations at the now-decimated kibbutz, after his family moved there from Argentina in 1986.
While his wife and children were released as part of the first hostage-ceasefire deal in November 2023, Cunio his brother Ariel are two of 50 hostages remaining in Gaza. While the status of Ariel is unknown following a sign of life in August, a released hosage’s testimony in February confirmed that Cunio was still alive.
"David misses Emma and Yuli, and they miss him. Not a day goes by without them asking, 'When will Daddy come back from Gaza?' They need their father to heal. To recover. To rebuild trust," Sharon said on the occasion of Cunio’s second birthday in captivity in May. “ I’m consumed by longing for the man I love, the one I cannot live without. Every day he doesn’t return deepens their wound - and mine.
The plight of the Cunio family has been widely shared, and documentaries have been produced to tell their story.
Cunio’s grandmother Esther’s story of survival was widely shared in 2023. While a quarter of Nir Oz’s population was massacred on October 7, she was able to keep terrorists at bay by distracting Hamas with discussions of Argentina, Pope Francis, and Lionel Messi when they invaded her home. In one viral video, she was seen holding the rifle of a terrorist while chatting away about the famed soccer star.
Yarden Bibas and David Cunio's decades-long friendship
While Cunio’s family have repeatedly called for a new hostage deal to secure his freedom, campaigns for his freedom were also charged after released hostage Yarden Bibas began calling for his “best friend back.”
Bibas’ wife Shiri, and sons Ariel and baby Kfir were murdered by terrorists after they were abducted by Palestinian civilians on October 7. Baby Kfir was the youngest hostage to be abducted.
Bibas and Cunio had begun their friendship in first grade and their bond continued on into adulthood. Cunio was the best man at Bibas and Shiri’s wedding, according to JFeed.
Even in captivity, Bibas told N12 last month that he had begged infamous Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to remain with Cunio. Despite Sinwar affirming the pair could remain together, they were separated in captivity.
“One time, David passed other hostages and sent a pillow for me,” he recalled. “Occasionally, we’d run into each other in the tunnels – a quick hug, a few words, then keep moving.”
Bibas’s last words to Cunio before his release were “I love you. It’ll be okay.”