Israel-Hamas War: With the truce appearing to hold, Israeli leaders face a difficult choice

An official briefed on the negotiations said avoiding family separation was crucial to Israelis and that their concerns had escalated as the last day of the initial truce began on Monday. Two siblings returned to Israel late Monday with their mothers, but their fathers are said to still be held in Gaza.

Here’s what we know about the Israeli citizens released on Monday.

Sharon Alony Cunio, 34, and her three-year-old twins, Emma Cunio and Yuli Cunio

Sharon Alony Cunio, her husband, David Cunio, and their three-year-old twins, Emma and Yuli, were hiding in their bomb shelter at Kibbutz Nir Oz with Sharon’s sister, Danielle Alony, and her five-year-old daughter, Amelia. , when they were taken hostage on October 7. The last message their family received from them on WhatsApp read: “Help, we are dying.”

Their relatives, including a cousin, Alana Zeitchik, have shared their story and called for their release at meetings with political leaders around the world.

Danielle and Amelia Alony were released Friday.

Ms Zeitchik described Emma and Yuli as “the happiest twins you could imagine.” Their cousin Amelia, Ms. Zeitchik said, is the star of the family. “She’s a sharp, witty, smart girl, you can’t really get past her.”

“The harm done to these children, this suffering and pain, does not end with their release,” she said, adding: “Their return is shrouded in great pain and trauma.”

David Cunio, 33, is believed to still be in Gaza.

Karina Engelbert, 51; Mika Angel, 18; Yuval Engel, 11

Karina Engelbert, 51, and her entire family, including her husband, Ronen Engel, 54, and their daughters, Mika, 18, and Yuval, 11, were taken from the safe room in their home. Kibbutz Nir Oz.

When she was taken, so was Mrs. Engelbert still recovering from a double mastectomy and a breast reconstruction surgery gone wrong. She was weak and easily fatigued, and a build-up of painful scar tissue on her chest caused a tight feeling, limiting her mobility.

“We don’t know if she is getting any medical treatment, if anyone is caring for her, if she is getting pain relief or the medications she needs to prevent the cancer from coming back,” said Diego Engelbert, Mrs. Engelbert’s brother. said last week.

Ronen Engel is believed to still be in Gaza.

Eitan Yahalomi, 12

Eitan and his family went to their safe room when the alarm first went off at Kibbutz Nir Oz.

When news reached the Yahalomi family that Hamas was going from house to house, Eitan’s father, Ohad, sat outside the family’s safe room. The door was broken, said Efrat Avsker, Ohad’s sister, and he tried to prevent Hamas from entering.

“There was some negotiation between Ohad and the terrorists,” Ms. Avsker said. “They shot him in the leg and arm.”

The attackers took Eitan’s mother, Bat-Sheva, and all three children – Liel, 1, Yael, 10, and Eitan – leaving Ohad behind.

“They saw him lying on the ground bleeding,” Ms. Avsker said of Ohad’s family, “and he told them he loves them.”

Eitan, a dual citizen of Israel and France, was separated from his mother and sisters and driven to Gaza. Bat-Sheva and her daughters managed to escape and hide in a field, Ms. Avsker said.

The family later learned that Ohad had also been kidnapped.

“Ohad’s family, and most of the people in those kibbutzim, are people who believed in peace,” Ms. Avsker said. “They wanted peace. They believed in coexistence.”

It is believed that Ohad Yahalomi remains in Gaza.

Erez Kalderon, 12; Sahar Kalderon, 16

Ofer Kalderon, 53, his 16-year-old daughter, Sahar, and his 12-year-old son, Erez, were seized from their family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Both Erez and Sahar have dual citizenship of Israel and France. Gaya Kalderon, 21, last heard from her sister, Sahar, on the morning of Oct. 7, when she sent a text message saying they had gone into hiding and left their home.

A day later, Gaya saw a video on Instagram of a child being pushed onto a path. It was her brother Erez – the first sign of her missing relatives she had seen.

The children’s mother, Hadas Kalderon, later visited the house she and her ex-husband were taken from, which was reduced to scorched rubble. Some remains of the family home have been preserved, including a photo of Erez. Her mother and niece were found dead near the kibbutz.

Ofer Kalderon is believed to remain in Gaza.

Or Yaakov, 16; Jagil Yaakov, 12

Or Yaakov, 16; a brother, Yagil, 12; their father, Yair, 59; and his girlfriend Meirav Tal, 53, were all held hostage by Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Or Yaakov has a life-threatening peanut allergy and could die if exposed to small amounts of peanut powder, according to Dr. Arnon Elizur, who has spoken publicly in recent weeks to draw attention to the plight of hostages with medical conditions. Yagil appeared in a hostage video released on November 9 by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an armed group based in Gaza.

“You can recognize him, but his eyes are…” his cousin, Sheffa Philips-Bahat he said, pausing for a moment, “It seems like he’s gone through so many things so quickly. There’s just a lot less life in it.”

Neither Yair Yaakov nor Meirav Tal were released with Or and Yagil.

Nadav Gavrielov reporting contributed.