Sisters and their daughters released; brother-in-law still captive
Danielle Aloni, 44, and daughter Emilia, 5, returned to Israel on Nov. 24; sister Sharon Aloni Cunio and twins released Nov. 27
Danielle Aloni, 44, and daughter Emilia, 5, were released on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Sister Sharon Aloni Cunio, 33, and 3-year-old twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, were released on November 27. Husband David Cunio is still captive in Gaza. This is the story of their capture and those who are still in Gaza:
Two sisters, one husband and three children, one aged 5 and twin 3-year-old girls, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7.
Sharon Aloni Cunio, 33, and her husband David Cunio, 34, and their twin daughters, Yuli and Emma, live at Nir Oz and were being visited by Sharon’s sister, Danielle Aloni, 44, and her 5-year-old daughter Emilia, during the holiday weekend.
The rest of the family, Sharon and Danielle’s sister and parents, began messaging them when missile alerts began in various parts of the country.
At first, Sharon said they didn’t know much, just that they were safe in the sealed room, and had been told there were terrorists in the kibbutz, not a first-time occurrence.
An hour later, Sharon wrote that they could hear terrorists in her neighbor’s house. Half an hour later, she texted that the terrorists were in her house and she wasn’t sure they were going to make it.

Another hour and a half later, Sharon sent a voice message that the terrorists had set the house on fire, and smoke was getting under the door of the sealed room. The last message was at 11:20 a.m.
Hours later, the sisters’ family members were able to get in touch with David’s family, who also live on Nir Oz and survived. They had already checked Sharon and David’s house and hadn’t found any of them.
Later that day, a TikTok video circulated that appeared to show David, Sharon and one of the twins on the back of a pickup truck with Hamas terrorists.
Six days later, the Aloni family was informed that all six were officially recognized as kidnapped by Hamas and in Gaza.
On October 30, Danielle Aloni was one of three women who appeared in a propaganda video released by Hamas.
David Cunio’s brother, Ariel Cunio, was also taken hostage, with his girlfriend, Arbel Yehud, and Arbel’s brother, Dolev Yehud.
Ariel sent a message to another Cunio brother, Eitan, which read: “We are in a horror film.”
All four Cunio brothers were born and raised at Kibbutz Nir Oz.