A former Hamas hostage said during his seven weeks in captivity it was like being forced to play “Russian roulette” every day – but his faith in humanity was restored when fellow captives were willing to hand over a small portion of their food to his 3-year-old twin daughters. to help them survive.
Sharon Alony-Cunio, 34, described the nightmare she and her family experienced when Hamas invaded their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and kidnapped her, her husband, David, and their twin children, Emma and Yuli.
Huddled in a cramped space with 12 other hostages at first, the family was at the mercy of the terror group, who then began constantly moving them across Gaza to escape the advancing Israeli army and airstrikes, Alony-Cunio told Reuters.
“It’s Russian roulette. You don’t know if tomorrow morning they will keep you alive or kill you just because they want to or just because their backs are against the wall,” he said.
The mother of two said one of her daughters was separated for 10 days before finally being returned, while her husband was removed from the group three days before the mother and twins were released last month. He remains a prisoner.
Alony-Cunio said that while in detention, his family and the other hostages with them struggled to subsist on pita bread provided by Hamas, along with a rare ration of dates, cheese, rice and meat distributed to them.
Sharon Alony-Cunio recounts the danger she and her family faced when they were kidnapped by Hamas gunmen Oct. 7. REUTERS Alony-Cunio was released last month with his twin daughters, Emma and Yuli. via REUTERS
“Everyone gives up food for [Emma and Yuli],” Alony-Cunio said of the kindness of his fellow hostages.
But food isn’t the only obstacle, says Alony-Cunio. She said she often struggles to keep her children occupied, as they can do nothing but whisper and sit in the sometimes dark room for hours after the power goes out.
There was also the issue of allowing the twins to use the bathroom, with Alony-Cunio noting that they often had to go into the sink or the bin.
The husband of the mother and father of the twins, David Cunio (right), remains in Hamas custody. Family Distribution
As she struggled to help her children get through the 52-day ordeal, Alony-Cunio said the worst part was being kept in the dark about what was happening in the outside world and whether there was any effort to free them.
“Every day, there is crying, frustration and worry,” he said. ” ‘How long are we going to be here? Have they forgotten us? Have they given up on us?’ “
Alony-Cunio and his twin were among 11 Israeli hostages released on the fourth day of a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Jewish state, which eventually saw more than 100 people freed in late November.
Fellow Hamas hostages gave up what little food they had to help feed the 3-year-old girl. AP Sharon Alony-Cunio is hugged by her mother, Riki Alony, after arriving home in Yavne. Reuters
While the family was in custody, their relatives became vocal advocates for the immediate release of the hostages, urging both the Israeli and US governments to do everything possible to negotiate a deal.
Now Alony-Cunio has joined her family in calling on Israel to make hostages a priority in the war against Hamas, in the hope that she and her daughters can be reunited with husband David.
Keep up with the news on the Israel-Hamas war and the surge in global antisemitism with The Post’s Israel War Updates, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“I was so scared I was going to get the bad news that he was dead,” Alony-Cunio said.
“We are not just a name on a poster,” he said of the hostages. “We are human, flesh and blood.
“My daughter’s father was there, my partner, and many other fathers, sons, mothers, brothers.”
With Postal wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
