Twenty living Israeli hostages, including three Argentines, were released on Monday after more than two years in captivity in Gaza, as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The three Israeli-Argentines are David Cunio and Ariel Cunio, 35 and 28 respectively, and Eitan Horn, 39.
The body of Lior Rudaeff, the fourth Argentine who remained in captivity in Gaza and whose death was confirmed in 2024, is yet to be recovered.
Militants kidnapped the hostages during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country's history.
On Monday, the freed hostages and their family and friends were seen in video footage running into one another’s arms, beaming and crying with joy at the end of the captives’ ordeal.
Sylvia Cunio, mother of Ariel and David, described the anguish of waiting for her sons' return after losing several family members in the October 7 attacks.
"It was surprising, I didn't expect it, it was very emotional," she said in an interview broadcast on Splendid AM 990 on Monday.
David and Ariel were kidnapped along with several relatives while hiding in the safe room of David's home in Nir Oz kibbutz.
Gunmen set fire to the house to force them out, and then took eight people hostage – the most for a single family in the October 7 attack. Six relatives were released prior to Monday.
Sylvia said she had always retained "hope" that she would see them alive again one day.
"All I heard was: you don't know what we went through here. My children are strong and always had hope," she insisted.
"My children are home! Two years ago, one morning, I lost half of my family. Two of my children, two of my daughters-in-law, and two of my granddaughters were lost on the face of the earth," she added at a press conference on Wednesday. "The world collapsed on me and my family in an instant."
Cunio, who emigrated with her husband from Argentina to Israel in 1986, has also been active in weekly Tel Aviv rallies urging a ceasefire to secure the hostages' release.
"For two years, I didn't breathe. For two years, I felt like I had no air. And today, I stand here, in front of you, and I want to shout out loud, David and Ariel are here!" she said. "I know it will take time until they recover, but I trust my children."
Eitan Horn, originally from Argentina, was also kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz with his elder brother Yair Horn, who was released in February.
Eitan, who lived in the town of Kfar Saba, worked in education and was involved with youth movements. His family had emigrated from Argentina years ago, according to Israeli media outlets.
Milei praises ‘architect’ Trump
In a statement released by President Javier Milei’s office, Argentina celebrated the release of the hostages and credited US President Donald Trump as the “architect” of the breakthrough.
The Milei government highlighted the stories of the three Argentine-Israelis, noting that the President "honours the courage and resilience of the hostages."
President Milei “honours the courage and resilience of the hostages,” said the head of state’s office.
"David was kidnapped along with his three-year-old twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, and his wife Sharon Aloni Cunio, at the Nir Or kibbutz. The three were released in November last year. Ariel was kidnapped along with his girlfriend Arbel Yehud, who was released in February this year.
“The same fate befell Eitan Horn, who was kidnapped along with his brother Iair and released in February," read a statement.
Praising the hostages and their families for "surviving such inhumane and prolonged captivity," Milei decried that they had been “tortured and exposed to the most extreme conditions."
“The Argentine Republic welcomes the fact that, after two years, the parties have finally been able to reach an agreement to bring peace to the Gaza Strip," they concluded.
‘Long time ago’
Not all the hostages are content. One former Israeli hostage said Wednesday that all the captives could have returned home "a long time ago.”
Arbel Yehud was held in captivity for nearly 500 days before being freed earlier this year under a previous Gaza truce.
She spoke on Wednesday at a press conference alongside families of newly freed hostages, including her partner Ariel Cunio.
"We could have brought them back a long time ago," Yehud said.
She said the deal that was brokered by Trump could have been struck earlier, in turn saving the lives of more hostages.
"While we are here, fortunate to embrace our loved ones, there are dozens of families that never will," said Yehud.
During their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, Hamas-led militants abducted 251 hostages to Gaza.
According to President Javier Milei’s government, a total of 21 hostages were taken who were either Argentine citizens or dual nationals.
Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement, Hamas has handed back 20 surviving hostages to Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
Hamas has also returned the remains of seven of 28 known deceased hostages – along with an eighth body which Israel said was not that of a former hostage.
The remains of 19 hostages are still unaccounted for, with Hamas saying it would need specialist recovery equipment to retrieve them from the ruins of Gaza.
At a state ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "determined to secure the return of all hostages."
– TIMES/NA/AFP
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