Freed hostage tells family David Cunio alive in Gaza, in first sign of life
Former captive spent time with Nir Oz father, who remains hostage along with brother Ariel; days after release, Iair Horn tells rally, ‘We’re out of time’
Hostage David Cunio was recently seen alive in Gaza, relatives said Monday, after the family received word from a recently released captive, in the latest sign of hope regarding scores of remaining captives whose conditions remain largely unknown.
Cunio’s wife, Sharon Aloni Cunio, said the family had been encouraged by the news, though she and others expressed fears for the fates of David Cunio and other hostages marking their 500th day of captivity since being taken hostage during the Hamas terror group’s deadly rampage through southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We indeed received a sign of life. David is alive,” Aloni Cunio told Channel 12 news. “And that gives us so much strength and so much air to breathe. There is no way to describe how much happiness I’ve been feeling from the moment that we heard the news. It gives us renewed strength to fight until he is returned, until everybody is returned.”
Cunio, 34, was taken hostage from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the onslaught, along with Aloni Cunio, and their 3-year-old twin daughters, Yuli and Emma. Sharon’s sister, Danielle Aloni, 44, and her daughter, Emilia, 5, who were visiting them for the holiday weekend, were also kidnapped by terrorists who stormed their kibbutz home. Cunio’s brother Ariel Cunio was also taken captive, along with his girlfriend Arbel Yehoud.
Aloni Cunio, Aloni, and the three young girls were all released from captivity during a ceasefire in late November 2023. Yehoud was released on January 30, as part of phase one of a mediated ceasefire-hostage release deal.
Neither of the Cunio brothers are on the list of hostages to be released in the first stage, and the prospect of keeping the truce going into future stages remains up in the air, with Jerusalem largely cool to restarting negotiations. A total of 24 hostages — civilians, female soldiers, and five Thai nationals — have so far been released in weekly transfers since the ceasefire began in January.
Speaking at a Hostages Square rally in Tel Aviv, Aloni said the sign of life had come from a hostage released in one of the recent groups, who had been with Cunio in Gaza.
“David is alive. As of just a few days ago,” she said, aiming her address at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “You bear the responsibility to return him home alive on your shoulders. David has no time to wait. You owe it to David.”
Asked by Channel 12 news what she knew of her husband’s condition, if anything, Aloni Cunio said it was “extremely urgent” that he be returned, noting that this was the first sign of life from him since the previous deal in November 2023.
“No more batches” of a few hostages at a time, she urged.
The sign of life from Cunio was the latest to be received by families in Israel desperate for word of their loved ones’ conditions, after some 16 months in harsh captivity, thanks to information from those who are making it out of Gaza.
Released hostages have described being held in inhumane conditions, with many of them having been kept chained in tunnels, and being subjected to torture, starvation, and other forms of abuse.
On Sunday, the family of abducted soldier Nimrod Cohen said they had received a fresh sign of life from him, after earlier hearing that he was alive as of seven months ago.
Relatives said a hostage released on Saturday said he had spent eight months with Cohen, describing him as alive and uninjured, but in grave danger, Channel 12 news reported.
Hamas on Saturday released Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, all of whom had been abducted from Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault, during which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages.
‘I need my brother’
In a pre-recorded message played for thousands gathered at Hostages Square on Monday night, Horn urged Israel’s leaders to quickly bring the remaining captives home.
“I was there. I was in Hamas’s tunnels. My body endured this captivity, and I’m telling you the hostages do not have any more time. We’re out of time. We must return them now,” said Horn, whose brother Eitan Horn remains hostage.
“Everyone is asking me, ‘What do you need?’ And I tell them, ‘I need only one thing: Bring back my brother,’” he said, breaking down in tears. “Bring back my brother and all of the hostages.”
