90-Year-Old Argentine Elderly Avoids Hostage Situation Thanks to Hamas Member Who Is a 'Messi Superfan'

Narrow Escape After Meeting a Hamas Member Who Is a Fan of Messi

A 90-year-old grandmother who was nearly taken hostage by Hamas escaped the crisis thanks to soccer player Lionel Messi.

Esther Cunio (90) taking a photo with Hamas militants. [Image source=Online capture·Yonhap News]

On the 7th (local time), the daily newspaper Clar?n reported that last October, a 90-year-old grandmother who was almost taken hostage by Hamas during the Palestinian militant group's attack on Israel avoided being taken hostage by mentioning Messi's name. Esther Cunio, a 90-year-old grandmother living in the kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, shared her testimony on the day marking five months since Hamas attacked Israel. This was revealed through "Voices of October 7: Stories of Latin Survival," produced by the organization Fuente Latina. The story quickly spread through social media.

The video was produced in Spanish and vividly depicts the horrors that occurred at the time through testimonies of Israeli Latinos. Cunio's testimony is one of them. On the morning of October 7 last year, Cunio opened the door to two people knocking at her house. It turned out they were Hamas militants armed with rifles. They asked the lone Cunio where her family was, but communication was hindered by a language barrier. Cunio began to feel her life was in danger and said, "I don't know your language, Arabic, and I don't speak Hebrew well. I speak Argentinian (Argentino)." The Hamas militants showed interest, asking, "What is Argentino?" When Cunio asked, "Do you watch soccer?" one of the militants replied, "I like soccer," allowing the conversation to continue.

Lionel Messi. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Cunio immediately explained, "I am from the country of soccer player Messi, Messi's country," and the Hamas militant said, "I like Messi," then handed Cunio the rifles and pistols they were carrying and suggested taking a photo together. After taking the photo, they left without taking Cunio hostage. Thus, Cunio avoided being taken hostage by telling the Hamas militant, a fan of Messi, that she was from the same country as Messi at a critical moment. However, her beloved twin grandsons were taken hostage by Hamas that day and have not yet returned to their family. Cunio expressed hope, saying, "I survived thanks to Messi, and I hope Messi will help free my grandsons and the other hostages."

On October 7 last year, over 1,000 Israelis were killed in Hamas's terror attack, and about 200 were taken hostage and transported to Gaza. The Israeli government launched retaliatory attacks, while Hamas stated that 31,000 Palestinians have died and tens of thousands have been displaced. On the 5th, Hamas declared that the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Palestine would only be possible after a ceasefire in Gaza.