This Monday, the last three Argentinians who were still being held captive in Gaza returned
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After more than 700 days of terror, brothers Ariel and David Cunio and Eitan Horn, the three Argentinians who had been held hostage in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, were finally released by Hamas.
The terrorist group handed the hostages over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of the peace agreement promoted by Donald Trump and the United States, which ended more than two years of war.
Ariel and David were able to speak with their families via video call before being transferred by the Israeli Army. The hostages' mother, Sylvia Cunio, through tears of joy, stated: "I didn't hear anything he said, there was too much noise, I don't care, they're free."
Hermanos Cunio en videollamada con sus familas
An image was also shared of Eitan Horn on a video call with his family, surrounded by Hamas terrorists with their faces covered.
Eitan Horn llamando a su famila
The Cunio brothers: an Argentinian family marked by terror
David Cunio was kidnapped along with his wife Sharon Aloni and their twin daughters Yuli and Emma, just three years old. The three women were released during the first truce, in November 2023.
His brother Ariel was kidnapped along with his girlfriend Arbel Yehud, who only regained her freedom in February, while her partner remained in captivity. Before being captured, he managed to send a message to his brother: "We're in a horror movie," he wrote.
Both brothers lived in the Nir Oz kibbutz, one of the Israeli communities most affected by the terrorist attack on October 7. There, their grandmother Ester Cunio, also Argentinian, miraculously survived when two Hamas members broke into her home and demanded information. Unable to communicate, she told them: "I speak Argentinian, in Spanish."
In the midst of that situation, Ester explained: "I'm from where Messi is." The terrorist's attitude changed completely when he heard her: "I like Messi!" he told her. After hearing the footballer's name, the kidnapper changed his behavior, put his arm on her shoulder, handed her his weapons, and they posed together for a photograph.
La abuela argentina junto al terrorista de Hamas
Today, all that pain and those traumatic situations have closure and some peace can be found.
The story of Eitan Horn
Eitan Horn, also Argentinian, was kidnapped while visiting his brother Iair at the same Nir Oz kibbutz.Both took refuge in the safe room during the attack, but were captured by the terrorists. From that place, they communicated by phone with their father: "Did you forget that in the kibbutz the missiles always fly over our houses?" Iair asked him, half-jokingly, to ease the tension.
Itzkin Horn recalled those moments with anguish: "That morning I spent the whole day glued to the television without knowing anything about my son. Only on Sunday did I find out from friends that Eitan was also in Nir Oz. That's when I learned that they had been captured by Hamas terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip, which was just 15 blocks from the kibbutz."
Itzkin Horn, padre de Eitan, llevaba más de dos años a la espera de su hijo.
Iair was released in February, but Eitan remained a prisoner until this Monday, October 13, when he finally returned to Israel.
Iair y Eitan Horn
A country that doesn't forget
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, left 21 Argentinians kidnapped: five were killed and thirteen managed to survive. With the release of the Cunio brothers and Eitan Horn, there are no longer any Argentinians in the hands of the terrorist group.
Among the fatal victims was Lior Rudaeff, whose body was recovered along with those of 25 other hostages who died in Gaza.
The images of the three Argentinians speaking with their families moved all of Israel. In Hostages' Square in Tel Aviv, thousands of people watched the moment on giant screens.
"At first I rejected the call because I didn't recognize the number. Then I saw them: they're fine. David's beard is a little whiter, but it doesn't matter. I told them I adore them," said Sylvia Cunio, the mother of the released brothers.
Message from President Javier Milei
Javier Mileicelebrated the release of the 20 Israeli hostages and highlighted the decisive role of U.S. President Donald Trump, who promoted the agreement that ended the captivity. He also expressed his "deep gratitude and admiration" for Trump, whom he recognized as the architect of the peace plan that enabled the hostages' freedom and marked a turning point in the Middle East.
The Office of the President of the Argentine Republic (OPRA) stated: "The memory of their suffering, both of those who returned alive and those who did not, must inspire a renewed commitment to the defense of peace in the region."
Mensaje oficial de la OPRA
Today, Israel and the Argentinian community celebrate news that once seemed impossible: after two years of horror, the Argentinians kidnapped by Hamas are coming home.
