Former hostages Sasha Trufanov and Sapir Cohen are engaged

In a heartwarming moment that has captivated Israel, Alexander “Sasha” Trufanov and Sapir Cohen, who survived months of captivity in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, announced their engagement on July 9, 2025. The couple’s journey from terror to triumph, marked by resilience and unwavering love, has sparked joy across social media, with people sharing heartfelt congratulations. Their story, in a nation scarred by conflict, celebrates life reclaimed from the shadow of trauma.

On that fateful day in 2023, Sasha, a 29-year-old engineer at Amazon’s Annapurna Labs, and Sapir, his girlfriend, were visiting his family at Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas struck, killing 117 residents and abducting dozens. Sasha, Sapir, his mother Yelena, and grandmother Irena Tati were taken hostage, while his father, Vitaly, was killed. Yelena, Irena, and Sapir were freed after 54–55 days in November 2023, aided partly by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention due to the family’s Russian-Israeli citizenship. Sapir endured starvation and fear, later recalling the darkness of captivity.

Sasha, held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, faced 498 days of torment, appearing in propaganda videos as late as November 2024, describing hunger, poor hygiene, and a skin condition. His release on February 15, 2025, alongside hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn, followed tireless advocacy by friends and family, who rallied at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square and protested Amazon’s silence at a Las Vegas conference. At Sheba Medical Center, Sapir shared Sasha’s selflessness: “He prayed I’d find another man, thinking he’d never return. But I waited.”

Their engagement, announced five months later, symbolizes their unbreakable bond. “From Gaza’s tunnels to a future together—mazal tov!” wrote @HenMazzig on X.