Yarden Bibas, one of the hostages who was freed from Hamas captivity, shared a personal account of encountering Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar while being held in Gaza. During that period, Sinwar permitted Bibas to remain alongside his closest friend, David Cunio, for about two weeks before the two were eventually split up.
“David is my best friend, he has been with me my whole life,” Bibas told Channel 12 in an interview.
Bibas recalled seeing Cunio on November 27, 2023—the day Cunio’s wife, Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their twin daughters were released in a short-term truce deal between Israel and Hamas.
“He was moved to me in the tunnel. When he saw me for the first time, he was in shock. He thought he saw a ghost. I hugged him, and then he continued to the next place,” Bibas recounted.
Bibas said that when Sinwar entered the tunnel, he made a heartfelt plea to stay with Cunio. “When Sinwar arrived at the tunnel, I said to him that this is my best friend and I want to stay with him. He said there was no problem, you can stay with him. After around two weeks, they separated us. I don’t know why,” Bibas said.
Yahya Sinwar was later eliminated by Israeli forces in Gaza in October.
{Matzav.com Israel}