Here Lived
Silvia and Luís Cunio lived in this home. They immigrated to Israel from Buenos Aires in 1986 with their eldest son, Lucas. After two years at an absorption center in Ashkelon, they decided to move to Nir Oz, where they found their true home. Their life was filled with family experiences, celebrations, shared meals, and plenty of barbecues. Three more children were born to them in Nir Oz: David, Eitan, and Ariel.
In 2000, they moved into this house and enjoyed the community and their neighbors. Their children grew up and eventually left home, but the house remained a warm and central gathering place for the family.
Over the years, Silvia worked in various roles on the kibbutz, as a caregiver, in the poultry house, in the kitchen, in the laundry, and also as a hairdresser, cosmetician, masseuse, and makeup artist. Luís worked first at Nirlat, and later in irrigation, in the mango and avocado orchards, and on infrastructure projects.
October 7th
On the morning of October 7, Silvia and Luís were at home with their dog Pipo. When the sirens began, they went into the safe room in the bedroom. Their youngest son, Ariel, had warned them very early that morning that there were terrorists disguised as soldiers in the kibbutz, and urged them to take cover. Contact with him was cut off after several hours, and they later learned that he had been abducted along with his girlfriend, Arbel Yehoud.
When Silvia stepped out briefly to get water, she looked through the window and saw terrorists surrounding the home of their eldest son, Lucas. Over the long hours in the safe room, terrorists tried four times to break down the door, but Luís held it shut each time.
The homes of David and Eitan burned to the ground. At one point, contact with David was lost entirely. Eitan managed to get through and pleaded, “Mom, save me.” After hours of being trapped and exposed to smoke, he was rescued along with his family by the kibbutz emergency response team.
David was brutally abducted along with his wife, Sharon, his twin daughters, Emma and Yuli, Sharon’s sister, Danielle, and her daughter, Emilia. After 52 days, Sharon and the girls were released, yet David and Ariel remained in Hamas captivity.
Just the night before, twenty people had gathered at their home for a Friday dinner. By the following morning, only twelve of them remained.
What Happened Since
Silvia and Luís moved to Karme Gat with their dog Pipo, their hearts torn apart knowing that two of their sons were there with them, while two were in Gaza. Arbel, Ariel’s girlfriend, returned from captivity after 482 days and joined the family’s fight, alongside Silvia, Luís, and the children.
After a long and determined struggle, led by Silvia, David and Ariel were returned to Israel in October 2025, after two years in captivity.
Today, the family is whole again, doing their best to heal.
