Hostage released from Hamas captivity speaks for first time at Tel Aviv rally

(23 Dec 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Tel Aviv, Israel - 23 December 2023 NIGHT SHOTS 1. Poster with a photo of a hostage held in Gaza and a sign that reads (English) “They trust us to get them out of hell!“ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Levy, Brother of Or Levy (hostage): “My brother is a civilian; he came to celebrate peace and love with his wife, who was murdered. He has a two-year-old son at home, who’s waiting for him. We need your help. Now.” 3. Poster showing photo of Or Levy, who’s being held captive in Gaza, reading (English) “Bring him home now!” 4. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sharon Aloni Cunio, released from captivity after 52 days with her three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli: “On October 7, my life stopped, stopped in the most brutal and painful way. In such a way that although my body survived, my heart went dark. In my worst nightmares, I did not imagine the disaster that befell us that day.” 5. Signs at rally reading (English) “Bring Omer back home. Kidnapped by Hamas.” 6. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sharon Aloni Cunio, released from captivity after 52 days with her three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli: “On the way to captivity, we saw things that still haunt me at night and in the middle of the day. You’ve all seen them on the apps - sights that are burned into my memory. Emma and Yuli, only three years old, with zero tools to deal with the sights and situations they experienced before and during captivity, will reveal to us in the distant future the scars of their hearts.“ 7. Sign with a photo of hostage, reading (English) “Bring Omer back home. Kidnapped by Hamas.” 8. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sharon Aloni Cunio, released from captivity after 52 days with her three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli: “The feeling of helplessness and the horror of a mother, looking straight down the barrel of a gun while holding a child and wondering where her other daughter is. Paralyzed by fear and horror, paralyzed! The moment when Emma was kidnapped from hugging and caring hands and held at gunpoint. The moments when we cried over her death and the moment when she was returned to us after 10 long days that seemed like eternity.״ 9. Protesters holding signs with photos of hostage Kfir Bibas, 11 months old, and Yarden Bibas, his father, signs reading (English): “Bring him home now” 10. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sharon Aloni Cunio, released from captivity after 52 days with her three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli: “My husband David has been in captivity for 78 days, not 52 but 78. Every hour is eternity, and everyday is infinity.“ 11. Crowd in Tel Aviv hostages support rally, holding umbrellas and signs with photos of hostages 12. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sharon Aloni Cunio, released from captivity after 52 days with her three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli: “Now, the state must do everything to return the people who were abandoned in their homes. In recent weeks, the government has not presented any initiative of its own, and almost everyday, news comes from Gaza only about dead bodies. I call to the government cabinet - Emma and Yuli have suffered enough. You broke the contract with them, with my husband David, Ariel, my brother-in-law, and 127 other hostages. I request and demand that your goal and everyone else’s goal be that the hostages are returned alive.” 13. Israeli singer performing in hostages support rally STORYLINE: Thousands of people took to the streets in pouring rain on Saturday in Tel Aviv to support families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, during their weekly protest rally. AP Video shot by Shlomo Mor Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: