Former Gaza hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen have announced their engagement in the United States, where they are currently residing. The couple was kidnapped together by Hamas during the October 7 attacks from Kibbutz Nir-Oz but endured separation throughout their captivity – Sapir gained freedom in the first hostage deal after 54 days, while Sasha remained captive until his release this past January.
That tragic Saturday brought software engineer Sapir Cohen (31) and Sasha Alexandre Troufanov (29) to visit his family at Kibbutz Nir-Oz. Terrorists breached the family residence where they had taken shelter in the safe room, killing Sasha's father, Vitaly, and abducting the remaining four family members – Sasha, his mother Yelena, his grandmother Irena, and Sapir.
"Don't go with them" – the heartbreaking separation
Sapir recounted the devastating kidnapping moments, 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. With each change of guard, she asked whether they had seen a young man who was "tawil-tawil and jamil-jamil" – tall and beautiful. During captivity, she encountered Sasha's mother, who reacted with shock upon seeing her, noting, "She believed Sasha and I had died, but now she held hope that he remained alive."
The first hostage deal freed Sapir alongside Sasha's mother and grandmother, though he stayed behind in Gaza. Not until May 2024 did the first footage of Sasha emerge, revealing that Palestinian Islamic Jihad, rather than Hamas, held him captive. His close friends championed the campaign for his freedom, given the family's limited relatives in Israel.
Prior to his release, Sapir reflected, "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 his release and their engagement, the couple can now forge their shared future after surviving the severe trauma of abduction and forced separation.
