Here Lived
Lucas and Paula Cunio lived in this home with their three sons, Gal, Idan, and Daniel (whose fourth birthday was on that day of October 7), and their dog Snoopy.
Lucas was originally from Nir Oz, and had never lived anywhere else since moving to the kibbutz at the age of three.
Paula grew up in Ashkelon. She and Lucas had been together since the age of 16. Paula moved to Kibbutz Nir Oz to live with Lucas as soon as she finished her army service, and they lived there together for the next 17 years, raising their family. Their children grew up with plenty of freedom and open spaces, in the stunning green landscape of Nir Oz – a veritable paradise for children – spending time with friends, riding bicycles, jumping on one of the trampolines found at nearly every home, the kibbutz swimming pool, communal holiday celebrations, chance meetings at the kibbutz store, the dining hall, and, of course, the soccer field.
And of course, there were always family gatherings of the extended Cunio clan – all of whom lived in Nir Oz.
October 7th
On October 6, they had dinner at Luis and Silvia’s house, Lucas’ parents, along with his brothers David, Eitan, and Ariel. There were twenty of them at dinner, and they all enjoyed the fun, family atmosphere, saying that it had been awhile since they’d shared such a gathering.
On October 7 at 6:29 a.m., the red alert sirens began. Two of the children, Gal and Idan, had slept in the living room, and they woke up Lucas and Paula. With Gal holding their dog Snoopy in his arms, they all went into the safe room, where Daniel had been sleeping.
After a few minutes, they realized that something unusual was happening.
Messages began to appear in the kibbutz group chats, saying that there were apparently terrorists near the kibbutz clinic. They assumed, as everyone did, that there were just a handful of terrorists and the event would soon be over. Lucas was already by the safe-room door. Then they saw messages that terrorists were entering people’s homes – people were writing, “they’re here,” “they’re in our house” – until they got to Lucas and Paula’s house. They heard gunshots outside the house, one of which shattered the window in Gal’s room, which the terrorists then climbed through, entering their home. The family heard two or three men speaking Arabic and throwing things in the house. They tried to break into the safe room four or five times, but Lucas held the door tightly and miraculously, they were unable to break in. There were now messages from people who were wounded and in need of help. Lucas’ brother Eitan and his sister-in-law Sharon were among those pleading for help as the terrorists set their house on fire.
The entire time, the family remained in the safe room. Gal was on the top bunk bed, while on the bottom bunk were Idan, Daniel, and Paula, who was holding Snoopy and texting people on her phone. “It really helped me not to feel alone.” When it became quiet and the terrorists left their house, the children simply fell asleep.
At around 4:30-5:00 p.m., there was a knock on the safe-room window. At first, they suspected it might be terrorists and decided to remain silent. Then, they heard Benny Avital, a member of the kibbutz first-response squad, calling out a couple of times, “Lucas, Paula, open up!” The window opened and there stood Benny, Yossi Yechayes, Yaron Maor, and Eran Smilansky, along with soldiers from the naval commando unit. The family was evacuated through the window and taken to a gathering point for the survivors of their neighborhood. There they were reunited with Luis and Silvia, Lucas’ parents whose house was just opposite theirs.
Together they walked to the location that had become the kibbutz command center. On this walk, which traversed the kibbutz from end to end, they were shocked by the putrid smell and the sight of burned kibbutz. “The stench was horrific.” At the command center they found Eitan, Stav, and their daughters in terrible condition, covered in soot and receiving oxygen. They were later evacuated to a hospital. They also saw Lucas’ grandmother there, and were relieved to see that she was unharmed.
In the command center they began compiling lists of those who were and weren’t accounted for. The family was taken to spend the night in the armored kindergartens in the kibbutz. At this point, they realized that the family members they hadn’t seen had been kidnapped to Gaza:
David, Sharon, Emma, Yuli, Danielle (Sharon’s sister) and her daughter Emilia, Ariel and his girlfriend Arbel.
What Happened Since
Sharon, Emma, Yuli, Danielle, and Emilia were released in the first hostage deal in November.
Arbel was released in the second hostage deal.
David and Ariel were released in the final hostage deal, after a long and arduous campaign and two years in captivity.
The family now lives in Karme Gat, along with most of the Nir Oz community, alongside Eitan, Stav and their daughters; Ariel and Arbel; and Lucas’ parents, Silvia and Luis.
