President Javier Milei met today with the families of Argentine citizens who were taken as hostages by the terrorist group Hamas during the attack on October 7, 2023, and reaffirmed his personal commitment to work for their release.
Affected by pronounced aphonia, Milei suspended most of the activities scheduled for the day. However, he made two exceptions: the meeting with the families of those kidnapped by Hamas and his address before the Knesset, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (local time, six hours ahead of Argentina).
The meeting took place in the Ambassador Hall of the King David Hotel, where the families were received by the president, accompanied by Karina Milei, Secretary General of the Presidency, Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, the Argentine ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, and the president of DAIA, Mauro Berenstein.
Javier Milei con los familiares de los rehenes.
During the meeting, Milei greeted each of those present and then led the inauguration of a monolith, designed by DAIA, with the inscription: "Bring them home now!".
After that presentation, the parents of Ariel Cunio and David Cunio, two of the Argentines kidnapped by Hamas, presented the President with a copy of the book The October 7 War, which contains photographs taken by Ziv Koren during the Palestinian terrorist attack.
The book is written in English and Hebrew, and Luis and Silvia Cunio expressed that it would be valuable to translate it into Spanish to make known the magnitude of the essentialist attack perpetrated by Hamas.
In response to that request, Mauro Berenstein, president of DAIA, took the floor and announced that the Jewish institution will take on the task of translating and distributing the book War, edited by photographer Ziv Koren.
After that intervention, President Milei reiterated his commitment to the hostages' cause and revealed that he addressed the issue during his meeting the previous day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Javier Milei con los familiares de los rehenes.
"Argentina has an unconditional commitment to this cause. In every international forum and every diplomatic opportunity, Argentina's voice will be raised to demand the immediate release of all hostages," Milei stated.
Among the family members who attended the event organized by the Government was Yarden Bibas, husband of Shiri and father of Ariel and Kfir, who were brutally murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group while they were held hostage in Gaza.
Yarden regained his freedom in February 2024 and keeps a close friendship with David Cunio, who remains kidnapped in the tunnels of the Gaza Strip.
"Especially, I came to thank you for everything you did so that Yair is already back with us, and to please ask you to continue doing everything possible so that Eitan and all the kidnapped are once again with us," said Ruth Chmiel, mother of Eitan and Yair Horn.
Currently, Hamas still holds 55 people, alive and deceased, as hostages, using them as bargaining chips to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorism in Israel.
