Yarden Bibas’ heart-wrenching plea to save David Cunio “I just want my best friend back”

In a poignant Instagram post, Yarden shared a photo of himself and David alongside their wives, Shiri Bibas and Aloni Cunio, with a simple yet gut-wrenching caption: “Help me bring my best friend back home.” The plea comes amid an ongoing nightmare for families torn apart by the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Yarden and David’s friendship stretches back to their first-grade days, a bond that deepened over decades. David stood as best man at Yarden and Shiri’s wedding, and the two couples—neighbors and soulmates—built a life filled with double dates and shared milestones. One cherished memory captures David’s thoughtfulness: he crafted the “Welcome Baby” poster that greeted Yarden’s son Ariel when he met his newborn brother, Kfir, for the first time. But that idyllic life was obliterated when Hamas struck. David, his wife Aloni, and their 3-year-old twins, Yuli and Emma, were abducted, along with Aloni’s sister Danielle Aloni (44), her daughter Emilia (5), David’s brother Ariel Cunio, and Ariel’s girlfriend, Arbel Yehoud.

For nearly two months, Aloni and her twins endured captivity in Gaza, separated from David. A ceasefire deal in late November 2023 brought their release—Danielle and Emilia on November 24, followed by Aloni, Yuli, and Emma on November 27. Arbel Yehoud was freed in January, but David and Ariel remain in Hamas’ grasp. Aloni, now home, is haunted by David’s absence. “I am a broken woman,” she confessed, describing days spent crying over his photos and voice messages.

Yarden, grappling with his own unimaginable loss, refuses to let his friend fade into silence. “David was there for me through everything. Now it’s my turn to bring him home,” he said. His plea echoes the cries of countless hostage families still waiting, a stark reminder that the fight for David, Ariel, and others continues.