Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov, one of the three hostages released from Gaza on Saturday, was informed during his journey back to Israel that his father, Vitaliy Troufanov, was murdered by Hamas during the October 7 attack, Israeli officials confirmed.
Troufanov, 29, from Tel Aviv, was kidnapped while visiting his father, mother Elena and grandmother Irena Tati with his girlfriend Sapir Cohen at Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was among the over 1,200 people killed when Hamas launched its coordinated assault on southern Israel.
His mother, grandmother and girlfriend were released in the November 2023 hostage exchange, but Sasha remained in captivity under Palestinian Islamic Jihad. His release on Saturday came after 498 days in Gaza as part of the sixth phase of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal.
Troufanov was previously featured in multiple propaganda videos released by his captors, in which he spoke under apparent duress about poor conditions in captivity.
After his release, he was transferred to IDF forces inside Gaza before crossing into Israel, where he is expected to undergo medical evaluations and reunite with his family—now learning the devastating news of his father’s fate.