By Eli Berlzon and Michal Yaakov Itzhaki
YAVNE, Israel (Reuters) – Israeli Sharon Alony-Cunio survived 52 days as a hostage in Gaza along with her two little women earlier than she was launched in an Israel-Hamas swap deal. However she fears for the lifetime of her husband who remains to be captive within the bombarded Palestinian enclave.
Now again dwelling along with her twin three-year-olds, Julie and Emma, she pleads for the remaining 137 hostages to be freed. “Each minute is essential. The situations there should not good and the times go on for ever,” she instructed Reuters in her first interview.
“It is a Russian roulette. You do not know whether or not tomorrow morning they will maintain you alive or kill you, simply because they wish to or simply as a result of their backs are in opposition to the wall,” stated Alony-Cunio, 34.
Alony-Cunio was one in all 240 folks taken hostage on Oct. 7 by Hamas gunmen who burst by means of the border with Israel and killed round 1,200 folks.
The militants who took over her kibbutz, Nir Oz, which lies slightly over a mile from Gaza, set hearth to her home and took her away at gunpoint after she climbed out the window.
She was taken throughout the border along with her husband David and one in all their twins, she stated. Their second daughter was held individually in Gaza for 10 days earlier than they have been reunited in captivity with 12 different hostages beneath situations she stated have been powerful, significantly for youngsters.
“Everybody gave up meals for them (the ladies). You do not know if within the night there might be a pita (bread) so within the morning you avoid wasting for the night. The whole lot may be very calculated, 1 / 4 of a pita, half a pita to maintain for the following morning.”
Generally they have been fed dates and cheese and typically they might cut up meat rice and rations for six among the many 12 of them.
Ready to be allowed to go to the bathroom was an issue for the ladies, she stated, so that they had to make use of a sink and a garbage bin. “Generally when there was an influence reduce, they allow us to open the door, they drew the curtain after which we’d whisper. How do you retain a baby collectively for 12 hours with whispers solely?”
Her group of hostages was held above floor and moved just a few instances, she stated, however with recollections nonetheless uncooked and along with her husband nonetheless inside, Alony-Cunio was reluctant to provide extra particulars of her seize and time as a hostage.
However one of many greatest hardships, she stated, was merely not understanding what was being accomplished to get them out.
“Every single day there’s crying, frustration and anxiousness. How lengthy are we going to be right here? Have they forgotten about us? Have they given up on us?”
A seven-day truce noticed greater than 100 hostages launched. The remainder are nonetheless being held incommunicado as Israel bombards Gaza vowing to take out Hamas. Greater than 18,000 folks have been killed in Gaza, in keeping with native well being authorities.
Many households of the 137 hostages nonetheless in Gaza, whose names and pictures on posters line the streets of Israel, are scared.
“My youngsters are torn,” Alony-Cunio stated. “I’m torn with out my second half, the love of my life, the daddy of my daughters who ask me day-after-day, the place is daddy?”
David was separated from them three days earlier than their launch on Nov. 27, earlier than preventing resumed. Getting the remaining hostages out must be high precedence, she stated.
“I’m petrified I’ll get unhealthy information that he’s now not alive,” Alony-Cunio stated.
“We aren’t simply names on a poster. We’re human beings, flesh and blood. The daddy of my women is there, my companion, and lots of different fathers, youngsters, moms, brothers.”
(Writing by Maayan Lubell; Enhancing by Nick Macfie)
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