Two former Israeli hostages are engaged to get married

Former Hamas captivity survivors Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen announced that they will be getting married. 

By Rachel Avraham

Hamas captivity survivors Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen on Wednesday announced their engagement, marking a deeply emotional milestone in their journey since being abducted by Gazan terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, Arutz Sheva reported. 

According to a recent report in Yedioth Achronot, five months after being released from captivity in Gaza, Israeli hostage Sasha Troufanov has proposed to his longtime partner, Sapir Cohen, who was also held by Hamas terrorists. In a photo, the couple can be seen posing with Cohen’s ring and a bouquet of red roses, the Times of Israel reported. Former Gazan hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen have announced their engagement in the United States, where they are currently residing, Israel Hayom noted. 

According to the report, Sasha, who spent 498 days in captivity, was freed as part of the most recent hostage deal. Yedioth Achronot added that Sapir, who was abducted with him from his family’s home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 massacre, was released in November 2023 along with Sasha’s mother, Yelena, and grandmother, Irina.

Sapir recounted the devastating moment when they were abducted and seperated to Israel Hayom, explaining, “The terrorists grabbed me and he [Sasha] kept saying ‘don’t go with them, don’t go with them.’ They dragged Sasha outside and made him kneel down. He stared at me with such pain and could only say ‘no, no.'” She continued, “Out of nowhere, I spotted Sasha breaking away from them and heard gunfire. I had no idea whether they had shot him.”

Throughout her captivity, Sapir desperately sought information about her boyfriend’s fate, Israel Hayom noted. With each change of guard, she asked whether they had seen a young man who was “tawil-tawil and jamil-jamil” – tall and beautiful, Israel Hayom stressed. During captivity, she encountered Sasha’s mother, who reacted with shock upon seeing her, noting to Israel Hayom, “She believed Sasha and I had died, but now she held hope that he remained alive.”

Not until May 2024 did the first footage of Sasha emerge, revealing that Palestinian Islamic Jihad, rather than Hamas, held him captive, Israel Hayom noted. According to the report, his close friends championed the campaign for his freedom, given the family’s limited relatives in Israel. Russian President Vladimir Putin is largely credited with intervening for Sasha’s return due to the family’s dual Russian-Israeli citizenship, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the report, the couple traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin following Sasha’s release. 

Yedioth Achronot noted that Sasha immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union with his parents at age 3. According to the report, he grew up in Kibbutz Nir Oz and later studied electrical engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. After graduating, he moved to central Israel and began working at Amazon, Yedioth Achronot noted. 

According to the report, Sasha and Sapir were visiting his family for the Simchat Torah holiday when the October 7th massacre occurred. Sasha’s father, Vitaly, was murdered during the October 7th massacre, Yedioth Achronot added. Prior to Sasha’s release, Sapir told Israel Hayom, “Starting a family matters deeply to me, but the kidnapping froze my life. I await Sasha while questioning what person he’ll become after captivity.”

Following Sasha’s release, Sapir shared the emotional toll of their separation. “He didn’t believe he would come out alive,” she told Arutz Sheva. “Sasha told me he prayed constantly that I would find another man who would love me. He didn’t want me to wait for a man who would never return.” Now reunited, Cohen expressed her joy and relief: “I’ve fulfilled my dream — to come back from captivity and embrace Sasha once again.” Now, Sapir and Sasha can share a new future together, after surviving the October 7th massacre and being held hostage in Gaza.

Photo from TBN Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=hhoz2zfTVto

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