The Kibbutz Nir Oz community on Saturday night held a final rally in Carmei Gat.
When news broke that kibbutz member Elad Katzir had been murdered in captivity, the Nir Oz community began holding weekly rallies near their temporary residence in Carmei Gat. Every Saturday since, these intimate gatherings brought together hostage families and community members close to their temporary home. This evening, with the return of the last hostage, Sgt. Ran Gvili, the community held its final rally, attended by many family members and captivity survivors.
Brothers David and Ariel Cunio, who were released from captivity this October, gave a joint speech at the rally.
Ariel began, "Three and a half months ago, I was in a completely different place. In darkness, in complete isolation, at the mercy of terrorists. With no one to lift me up in moments of crisis, to laugh or cry with me - just alone. Today I stand here together with my brother David, who returned from captivity with me, surrounded by so many incredible people. We both stand here as living proof that even in the face of the most terrible darkness, the human spirit can prevail."
David added, "I stand here today after long days of despair. Days filled with moments of hopelessness, fear of death, and thoughts that perhaps I would never make it home. There were many nights when I didn't know if I would ever see daylight again, if I would ever hug my daughters again, if I would see them laugh, if I would ever return home. And here I am. I returned to the love of my life, Sharon. I returned to laughter, to joy, and to being the best father possible to my daughters."
"I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, everyone who raised our cry during those 738 days. Everyone who refused to let us be forgotten, in Israel and around the world. Even in the depths of darkness, we knew you were there. That knowledge gave us the strength to hold on for another day, another night. I want to say an enormous thank you from the bottom of my heart to the IDF soldiers, security forces, and everyone who risked their lives, and sometimes sacrificed what was most precious to them, so that we could stand here tonight. I also want to thank the wonderful people of Israel and everyone around the world who fought for our return. You didn't give up on us. You didn't forget us for a moment."
Ariel shared, "Little by little we're learning about what happened here over the past two years, and it's incomprehensible. Most of the nation united for the return of the hostages, and that moves us deeply. These past days have closed a painful and turbulent circle for all of us with the return of Ran Gvili, an Israeli hero, the last hostage remaining in Gaza. Our hearts break over the loss, but from that brokenness also comes great relief that there are no more hostages in Gaza. It's relief, but also responsibility. The responsibility to always remember and never forget. The responsibility to honor the legacy of the fallen. The responsibility to rise and rebuild."
"It seems to me that all of us, as a nation, now stand at the beginning of a rehabilitation process. And just as we will need to rebuild our home, the State of Israel also needs to be rebuilt. Not just physically, but with mutual responsibility, compassion, and the courage to choose together a path of healing. This healing won't happen in a single day. It will happen when we choose to see the humanity in others even when it hurts, even when we disagree. I promise to do my part, to continue choosing life, to choose hope, and to look toward the future. May we prove worthy of those who didn't return, and may we transform this pain into a force that brings us closer rather than drives us apart. Into glue that will mend our broken hearts."
Renana Gome, mother of captivity survivors Yagil and Or Yaakov, said, "Alongside returning the hostages, there was the mission to restore mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual responsibility to our people. These rallies we attended every Saturday night demonstrated the seed of mutual responsibility planted within us. Because we are brothers and sisters. Therefore, it's not finished. And we're not complete. Because the real mission is to raise a generation here that is mutually responsible and committed. And to do so, those responsible must take responsibility and allow all of us to move forward. To the next chapter of the State of Israel. To a future of innocence and wholeness. Only then can we say: finished and complete."
Noam Peri, daughter of Haim Peri, said, "This Saturday, 120 Saturdays after Black Saturday, we can finally stand here and say with relief.- we have no more hostages in Gaza! And this evening, I want to say first of all: Thank you. Thank you to you, neighbors of the Nir Oz community from the Gaza envelope, the Negev, the mountains and the lowlands, determined Israeli citizens who came and stood beside us everywhere in the country."
"With all the relief at ending the hostage ordeal, we don't forget for a moment the terrible failure that brought us to this situation. I'm sorry to my father and to the 46 hostages who were killed or murdered in Hamas captivity during the war. I'm sorry that you left home on your own feet, that even after the terrible failure of October 7th it was possible to recover and save you, and they didn't do it. Forty-six hostages, the vast majority civilians abducted from their homes or from a festival, who survived in captivity for long weeks and months until they were killed there - that's not a mistake, it's a policy of prioritizing the war and political survival over the hostages. After two and a quarter years of waiting for accountability and apology, we have nothing more to wait for!"