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, his family confirmed.
Troufanov, 29, from Tel Aviv, had been unaware of his family's fate throughout his 498 days in captivity. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his mother Elena, grandmother Irena Tati and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. While the three women were released in the November 2023 hostage exchange, Sasha remained in Gaza, held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
His father was among the over 1,200 people killed when Hamas launched its coordinated assault on southern Israel.
His family expressed both relief and grief upon his release. "Seeing Sasha today strengthens us and gives us hope for the long rehabilitation process ahead," they said in a statement. "This is a moment of immense relief for us, for his friends and for all who prayed for his return."
However, before Troufanov was officially updated on his father’s death, his family acknowledged the emotional weight of the news. "We do not know if he is aware that his father was murdered on October 7. This revelation will change his homecoming from a day of immense joy to a day of deep mourning," they said, asking the media to respect his privacy as he begins his emotional and physical recovery.
Friends of Troufanov gathered at Kfar Maccabiah near Tel Aviv to watch his release unfold, cheering, clapping and shedding tears as they saw his first images outside captivity.
He was freed alongside Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel-Chen, both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Troufanov had grown up after immigrating to Israel with his parents at age three. He later studied electrical engineering at Ben-Gurion University and worked for Amazon before the war.
On October 7, he had traveled to the kibbutz with his girlfriend to visit his parents when Hamas launched its deadly attack.
As Troufanov and his fellow hostages return, Nir Oz continues to grapple with its losses. The kibbutz released updated figures detailing the impact of the October 7 massacre, revealing that: 57 residents were murdered, including at least seven who were kidnapped alive and later killed in captivity, and that 11 hostages remain alive in Gaza, while nine bodies are still held by Hamas.
A total of 76 Nir Oz residents were taken hostage, including 40 women and children who were freed in November 2023. So far, nine hostages have been released in the latest deal, with seven bodies recovered in Israeli military operations.
In total, 117 Nir Oz residents—children, elderly, women and men—were either murdered or abducted on October 7, making up more than a quarter of the kibbutz’s population.
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 underwent medical evaluations and reunited with his family—now learning the devastating news of his father’s fate.