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 freed hostages and their family and friends were seen in video footage running into one another’s arms Monday, beaming and crying with joy at the end of the captives’ ordeal.
Militants kidnapped them during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country's history.
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 until today and whose death was confirmed in 2024, is still yet to be recovered.
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, Ariel and David Cunio and Eitan Horn, 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," they said.
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.
Cunio brothers
Israeli-Argentine brothers David and Ariel Cunio 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 have since been released.
David Cunio had played a main character in Israeli director Tom Shoval's 2013 film Youth, and Shoval presented a tribute named A Letter to David at this year's Berlin Film Festival.
Silvia Cunio, the mother of Ariel and David, expressed her joy in an interview with a local radio station.
"It was surprising, I didn't expect it, it was very emotional," she said in an interview broadcast on Splendid AM 990.
Cunio 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.
Eitan Horn
Eitan Horn, originally from Argentina, was 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.
– TIMES/NA/AFP
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