The eye shed another tear when, in the fourth phase of the release of the hostages, Karina Engel-Bert of Nir Oz, the mother who recently recovered from cancer, and her daughters Mika (18) and Yuval (11), who entered the Red Cross vehicle in a wheelchair.
Documentation: The abductees are transferred from Hamas to the Red Cross \\ Arab networks
Father Ronen remained in captivity in Gaza, and the joy of his eldest son Tom was partial yesterday. "I hoped they would come back, but I didn't believe the state would succeed. I was surprised," he admits. "It's a sigh of relief, but the joy won't be complete until everyone is here."
Another joy, also unfortunately still imperfect, was to see back in Israel the 3-year-old twins Emma and Yuli Cuneo, who were released together with their mother Sharon Aloni-Konyo. In their case, father David, brother Ariel and his wife Arbel remained captive in Gaza.
The Engel family, mother Karina and daughters Mika and Yuval, photo: None
It was not only the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz who followed the liberation of the Engel and Konyo families. Even in Argentina, where Karina was born, there were many who could smile yesterday. If passports had been checked, 21 Argentine nationals would have been kidnapped on 7 October. This is the country with the most Israelis with foreign citizenship who have found themselves held captive by Hamas, and it's no wonder – Argentina is the South American country from which the most immigrants came, and many of them found themselves in the Negev.
"At the time, there was extensive activity of youth movements, with Hashomer Hatzair at the forefront," says Dario Teitelbaum, who came to Kibbutz Borders in the late 70s. "A lot of grains were diverted to settlement in the Negev, and this led to the creation of Latin American kibbutzim in nature, headed by Mafalsim, Kissufim, Ein Hashlosha, Nir Yitzhak and more."
Argentina has followers. The cover of the Clarin newspaper, photo: None
This is probably also why the main headline of Clarín, Argentina's largest newspaper, was focused yesterday on the big story that is happening here. "Drama in Israel," it said, "Hamas released five Argentinian abductees, including two 3-year-old twins." This was referring to Yuli and her mother Konyo, who were among those released.
"Today, the Argentine public can be divided into four parts," explains Teitelbaum, who served for 18 years as coordinator of the Hashomer Hatzair movement in Latin America. "There is the Jewish public, which identifies with the state and fights for the return of the hostages. The second audience is the right-wing population, some of which supports the state. A clear example is the current president, Javier Millay, who is very close to Orthodox circles, and just this week visited the tent of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York. On the other hand, the general public is influenced by the media and the Palestinian community that spreads fake news. And then there is the left, which is mostly insensitive to Israel's suffering."
"Suddenly in favor of Israel"
Teitelbaum, who has set up a special communications room since Oct. 7, has conducted dozens of interviews so far in an attempt to influence public opinion in the country where he was born, but he is not the only one who lends a shoulder in public relations efforts. The well-known sports broadcaster Hernan Feller, whose aunt Ophelia Roitman was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, also uses the stage to tell his viewers in Argentina about what happened in the Gaza envelope and what must happen now.
"You, who killed your family, whose soul is as broken as mine, are not alone," he said before the opening whistle of the important match between Argentina and Uruguay. "We are together and we will not be silent. We will continue to strongly condemn the Hamas terrorist organization. We demand the immediate release of the abductees. Each of them has a name and a family, dreams and a whole world waiting for them to return home. You, who keep quiet and turn your gaze to the other side, I tell you, you can't sleep soundly." Fleur could smile yesterday after Ophelia was released from captivity.
Leo Swierazansky, who came to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in 1989, also participates in the advocacy efforts. "My adolescence was during the dictatorship in Argentina," he says. "In the '80s, when the democratic process began, I was 18 years old and very active in protests to bring military officers to justice. That's why I'm disappointed, because regarding that discourse, I see today a clear lack of stance against what Hamas did on the left, human rights organizations, women's rights organizations, groups that I felt part of."
Don't the sights affect them? There is now a pro-Israel president.
"Not enough. I had conversations with friends, but they repeated empty slogans. When you try to explain about the anti-Semitic connotations, they say, 'How come on?' What is surprising is that parts of Argentine society, which have always been anti-Semitic and identified with the right, are suddenly speaking in favor of Israel. It's delusional."
"Complacency is a danger"
Alongside patriotism and Israeliness, the Argentine community in Israel has always been connected to its roots in Buenos Aires. Every World Cup it is customary to take out the blue and white shirt at Kibbutz Or Hanar and praise the number 10 – once Maradona, now Leo Messi – and go into a sporting battle against Brazilian neighbor Kibbutz Bror Hayil. In the kibbutzim established by Argentine immigrants, there has always been a warm and homely atmosphere, and the question is whether the return of the abductees will also bring color back to the Gaza envelope and help rehabilitate it.
"Character does not change," promises Haim Yellin, who was born in Buenos Aires, lives in Bari and was formerly a member of Knesset and head of the Eshkol Regional Council. "There will be moments of great sadness for people we will never see again, but there will also be joy, as now there is joy for every kidnapped person who returns. A joy that will only be perfect when everyone returns."
The last few days were devoted to those who were released. Sparks of light in the darkness, but Yellin wants to warn: "Some of the abductees are being released and people have the feeling that the war is over, and that's the most dangerous. They were in the throes of fighting, and now they're starting to clean the house, but when the mortar barrage comes, what will happen? Complacency is a danger, we need to wake up. In the end, the mission is to release all the abductees, and peace is made only with the stones on the other side."
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