In the days leading up to the release of Israeli hostages, the IDF prepared for potential provocations by Hamas — and indeed, one materialized. Hamas terrorists made direct video calls from their own phones to the families of hostages Matan Zangauker, Nimrod Cohen, and brothers David and Ariel Cunio, allowing the captives to show they were alive. All the hostages were together, with the phone passed from one family to another.
In one of the videos, Einav Zangauker spoke to her son, Matan. "That's it, my love, the war is over. No more war. We'll see each other soon," she told him.
Vicky Cohen, the mother of Nimrod, recounted the emotional moment after speaking to her son via a Hamas terrorist's phone. "We screamed with joy. He'll be home soon," she said. Relatives and friends could be heard on the line asking, "Did you meet him yet?" She replied, "No, we spoke with him on the phone. They called everyone on Cunio's phone, one after another, and let us talk to him. We were shouting on the phone."
"Vicky, we love you. We're all here at home with you. We're waiting," family members said in the background.
Vicky added, "He looks great, really great. He's smiling. He'll be released in the second group, around ten."
Sylvia Cunio also received a call from her son, David. "I told them how much I love them. I couldn't breathe. Everyone at the kibbutz is waiting for them. Who would they call if not their mother!" she said.
Daniel Aloni, David Cunio's sister-in-law, said, "We're overwhelmed with excitement. We've waited for them for two years. We didn't even know if they knew about each other. It feels like the end of days."
