Mother’s 21-Month Vigil: Silvia Cunio Fights for Sons Held by Hamas
Nearly 21 months have dragged by since Hamas gunmen burst into Kibbutz Nir Oz and seized David and Ariel Cunio, and their mother, Silvia Cunio, is still living every parent’s nightmare. In his moving report, Gabriel Colodro lets Silvia tell her story in her own voice—raw, determined, and heartbreakingly clear: “They are not on vacation … they’re kidnapped.”
Silvia was born in Argentina, made Israel her home in 1986, and raised four sons on the tranquil kibbutz near the Gaza border. On Oct. 7, 2023, that calm shattered. Six relatives—including David’s wife and their young daughters—have since been freed, but the two brothers remain somewhere in Gaza’s tunnels. The agonizing wait, Silvia says, is “like when your child is five minutes late—only it’s been almost two years.”
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She refuses to stay silent. Silvia meets everyone who might move the needle—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch, opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, and even President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, who “give us strength.” Her sons’ character fuels her resolve: David, an electrician and devoted dad; Ariel, the family’s computer whiz. Both, she says, “respect others” and surely cling to hope just as fiercely as she does.
Silvia’s ask of the world is simple: stay loud, stay united, and keep the pressure on Hamas until every hostage is home. If you want the full measure of her courage—and a reminder of why these families must never fade from the headlines—read Gabriel Colodro’s report on The Media Line and watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
