Mumbai, March 8: A 90-year-old woman who escaped being kidnapped by Hamas men during the October 7 attack on Israel credits her survival to her love of football and Lionel Messi. The grandmother's story was featured in a

documentary that tells the harrowing tale of her kidnap and heartwarming escape from Hamas captivity.

Esther Cunio, an Argentinian-Israeli grandmother living in Kibbutz Nir Oz, managed to distract a gunman who knocked on her door by telling him she was from the same country as the world-famous football star. The abductor, who was apparently a fan of Messi, then asked her to pose with his rifle and make a victory sign for a video that later went viral on social media. Israel-Hamas War: US To Build ‘Temporary Port’ in Gaza for Humanitarian Aid, Joe Biden To Make Announcement During State of the Union Address.

Messi Saves the Day!

How Argentine grandma Escapes Hamas attack

Cunio’s story is one of the many harrowing tales of survival that will be featured in a new documentary called “Voces de 7 de octubre - Latino Stories of Survival”. The film, produced by Fuente Latina, a non-profit that works with Spanish media covering Israel, will document the atrocities of October 7 from the perspective of Israelis from Latin America who experienced it.

Israel-Hamas War

October 7 was the day when thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid horrific acts of brutality and sexual assault. Israel-Hamas War: 28,985 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Since October 7, Says Health Ministry.

Eight members of Cunio’s extended family were among the captives, and two of them, her grandchildren Ariel and David Cunio, are still being held by terrorists in Gaza. David’s wife and their twin 3-year-old daughters were released as part of a weeklong truce in late November, as were his sister-in-law Danielle Aloni and her daughter Emilia. Ariel’s girlfriend, Arbel Yehud, 28, is also still in captivity.

Cunio hopes that Messi, who plays for Inter Miami and the Argentinian national team, will hear about her ordeal and pray for her grandchildren’s safe return. “Now I would ask for my grandchildren, for my two grandchildren who are locked up there, and I would tell him to please pray to God, to send them… that he tries to get them out because they are kids who are worth gold,” Cunio says in the film.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2024 08:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).