90-year-old survivor of Oct. 7 Hamas massacre credits Lionel Messi with saving her life

Esther Cunio, a 90-year-old Jewish-Argentinian survivor of the Oct. 7 massacre in Kibbutz Nir Oz, told the producers of a documentary about the Latino survivors of Oct. 7, how mentioning Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi in her conversation with the terrorists saved her life.

Cunio recounted how two terrorists barged into her home and asked her where her family was, to which she responded that she lived alone. The terrorists then wanted to abduct her.

“There won’t be any people here,” they said. “It’s all going to be on fire.”

“Don’t speak to me, because I don’t know your language,” Cunio responded. “You speak Arabic and I speak Hebrew poorly. I speak in Argentine Spanish.”

The terrorist then asked her what Argentina is and she diverted the conversation to soccer.

“Do you watch soccer?” Cunio asked.

“Yes, yes I like soccer,” the terrorist said.

“I’m from where Messi is from,” Cunio responded.

“Messi! I like Messi,” the terrorist said.

He then made her pose in a photo with him, which later went viral, showing her with his gun in her lap and making the victory sign with her hand. The terrorists left her alone and left her house.

Esther credits Messi with saving her life and said that she hopes he knows that she mentioned him.

“And now I hope that if he knows that I mentioned him and because of him I was saved. 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 to him. That he tries to get them out, because they are kids who are worth gold,” she urged.

Cunio's grandchildren, David and Ariel, have been hostages in Gaza for 153 days. David was taken with his wife Sharon and his two daughters who were released in November in the hostage deal.

The documentary by the non-profit media organization Fuente Latina, is still in production. The orgaization works to “ensure Spanish-speaking journalists and influencers around the world can access the tools and stories necessary to provide accurate coverage of Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, regardless of geographic location,” according to its website.

Fuente Latina CEO and Founder Leah Soibel said the documentary was both unique and critical for preserving testimonies to future generations.

“This documentary is unique as it spotlights the Spanish-speaking community in Israel and conveys their stories of horror and heroism from the Hamas attack to millions of Hispanics worldwide. The film is critical as it preserves these testimonies for future generations, ensuring the truth is not distorted or forgotten, as is the case with past events,” said Soibel.

Tony Hernandez, the film’s director, said that making the documentary was a privilege.

“Documenting the narratives of the October 7 Hamas attacks from the viewpoints of Spanish-speaking immigrants has been an extraordinary privilege. Our film aims to preserve the lessons of history while leveraging the strength of our shared humanity in the battle against terrorism.”