Hostage survivors David and Ariel Cunio released their first joint video this morning (Sunday) since returning from Hamas captivity last week.
They opened the video saying, “Hello to all the amazing people in Israel. I’m David Cunio.” “And I’m Ariel,” Ariel added. “We both came out of the darkness into the light a few days ago. We know how much you fought for us to return home, and we want to thank each and every one of you who left your homes at a moment’s notice. Even in the most difficult moments, we felt that you were fighting for us and that you didn’t give up.”
David: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but my dream has come true: I read bedtime stories every night to Emma and Yuli. I get to hug Sharon, the love of my life, again.”
Ariel: “Thank you to our dad, our mom, our amazing brothers, and of course my beloved Arbel.”
David: “And to Sharon, the love of my life.”
Ariel: “You didn’t stop fighting for a moment. Our new life begins now. Today we are returning home and we are very excited. We are just waiting to rebuild our lives and close the gaps. Most importantly, we want to thank the IDF, the security forces, and the families who have paid an unbearable price in this war. We love you all. We will not forget you - you are our heroes. One last word: the struggle is not over yet. We have more brothers still missing, some of whom were kidnapped from Nir Oz - our community - and we must bring them back. We must not stop until the last kidnapped person is returned to us.”