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Esther Cunio
(Video: Fuente Latina)
Esther Cunio from Nir Oz was able at the age of 90, to chase Hamas terrorists away and avoid being taken hostage during the October 7 massacre. She did with the help of soccer great, Lionel Messi. Now she hopes her two grandsons would also be freed from their captivity in Gaza.
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Cunio recounted the events of that day in an Argentinian documentary film produced by Fuente Latina. When terrorists invaded her community on that fateful day, she was alone. They entered her home, masked and armed, and asked where her family was. I have no family," she told them. "I am alone. You can look around."
The terrorist then told her she must go with them and that the entire community would be burned to the ground, but Cunio said she was unable to understand what they were saying. I speak Argentinian, Spanish," she said.
"So he says to me, What is Argentina? So I tell him, Do you watch soccer? So he tells me, 'Yes, I like soccer. So I say to him: I am from where Messi is from. Then he replied, 'Messi! I like Messi.'"
The terrorist put his arm around Cunio and placed his gun in her hands and took a picture of them both, before he and his cohort left.
Cunio's grandsons, David and Ariel Cunio, were abducted to Gaza on that day. David was taken along with his wife Sharon and his two daughters who were released in November in the hostage deal. Ariel was taken along with his partner Arbel Yehoud.
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Sylvia Cunio holding the hostage posters of her two sons who are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza
(Photo: Gadi Kabalo)
Sylvia Cunio, mother of David and Ariel, told Ynet in January that her youngest son Ariel was a bit spoiled. Girls in the kibbutz nicknamed him “Pepito,” after the affectionate name she always used for him. “He’s such a good boy—tall and handsome. I just hope he doesn’t come back too thin,” she said at the time.
Ariel and David have now been held hostage for 153 days and counting.