Freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas has described a face-to-face encounter with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar inside a Gaza tunnel, in which he personally begged to remain with his best friend, fellow hostage David Cunio.
In an emotional interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Tuesday night, Bibas – who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October – said he appealed directly to Sinwar, the mastermind of the Hamas massacre, after learning his friend was being held nearby.
“When Sinwar arrived at the tunnel, I said to him that this is my best friend and I want to stay with him,” Bibas recalled. “He said there was no problem, you can stay with him. After around two weeks, they separated us. I don’t know why.”
Bibas and Cunio, childhood friends, were among dozens taken during the Hamas rampage that left hundreds dead and entire communities destroyed. They briefly reunited underground in November 2023 as Cunio’s wife Sharon and their twin daughters were being prepared for release as part of a ceasefire deal.
David Cunio remains in Hamas captivity and is believed to be alive.
Photo: X
“He passed by me in the tunnel and continued to where he was being held,” Bibas said. “When he saw me for the first time, he was in shock. He thought he was looking at a ghost. I didn’t recognise him at first either, but once I did, I just got up, we hugged, and they hurried him to move on.”
At the time of their reunion, Bibas had already been told by his captors that his wife Shiri and sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, just 9 months old, had been murdered in captivity. “I wanted to be with my closest friend,” he said. “I was scared to ask. I didn’t know whether he was with better or worse people… But after the video Hamas forced him to record, I realised I had to be with David.”
Bibas and Cunio’s contact continued to be limited to sporadic encounters in the tunnels. “We’d meet occasionally when we passed each other,” Bibas said. “It was always a quick, strong hug and keep going.”
Bibas was freed in February 2025 as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal. Cunio, who turns 35 today, remains in Hamas captivity and is believed to be alive.
Yarden Bibas embraces his father Eli and his sister Ofri at an IDF facility near Re’im after 484 days in Hamas captivity.(Screencapture/Israel Defense Forces)
“You can’t really recover,” Bibas said. “I was there – in the same tunnels, on the same mattresses. It feels wrong that I have a big bed to sleep in, hot water to shower with, and three meals a day. My best friend doesn’t have a choice.”
He added: “Only when they all come home can we begin to heal. Until then, I don’t know where I’ll be. I just want to reach the point where I can decide.”
