Hamas frees three captives, among them a Russian national
Alexander Trufanov has been released due to diplomatic initiatives by Moscow. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Alexander Trufanov has been released following diplomatic initiatives by Moscow.
As part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, Hamas has freed three hostages, one of whom is a Russian national. The individuals released were identified as Sagui Dekel-Chen, a dual US-Israeli citizen; Aleksander Trufanov, holding dual Russian-Israeli citizenship; and Yair Horn, a dual Argentinian-Israeli citizen.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency received the hostages in Gaza, and they are now on their way back to Israeli territory for an initial medical evaluation, as stated by the IDF.
In January, President Vladimir Putin requested that the Foreign Ministry and other relevant government entities “do everything” to ensure the release of Trufanov, a Russian citizen held by Hamas. The following day, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov announced that Hamas had conveyed assurances of Trufanov’s imminent release to Moscow.
The ambassador noted that Trufanov had sustained injuries during his captivity and described his health as “not quite satisfactory.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that the leadership of Hamas had given a “firm promise” to Russia that Trufanov would be returned “alive and well.”
According to Russian Ambassador to Qatar Dmitry Dogadkin, “Aleksander was placed on the list of hostages to be released at the first stage of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, rather than the second stage, at Russia’s request. According to the Palestinian leadership, this was done as a sign of respect for our country’s position in support of a just settlement of the Middle East conflict.”
Russia has sustained relationships with Hamas and other Middle Eastern entities, positioning itself as a mediator in the ongoing conflicts involving Israeli hostages. Moscow asserts that the two-state solution—creating the State of Palestine alongside Israel—is the only viable resolution to the long-standing Middle East crisis.
The exchange on Saturday represents the latest in a series of swaps occurring under the current ceasefire, which commenced on January 19. Thus far, Hamas has released 21 hostages, while Israel has freed over 730 Palestinian prisoners in return. There are still 73 hostages believed to be held in Gaza, with half of them feared dead.
Trufanov was abducted during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, an attack that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, with around 250 taken hostage. Over the past 15 months, Gaza health authorities report that nearly 47,000 people in the enclave have been killed.
Trufanov was kidnapped alongside his grandmother Irena Tati, mother Elena, and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. His father, Vitaly Trufanov, was killed during the attack. The women were released as part of the Hamas-Israel truce in November 2023.
The Trufanov family emigrated from Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in the late 1990s. Before being taken hostage, Trufanov worked as an engineer at Annapurna Labs, an Israeli subsidiary of Amazon, a company that has faced criticism for not publicly addressing the situation of its employee captured by Hamas.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
As part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, Hamas has freed three hostages, one of whom is a Russian national. The individuals released were identified as Sagui Dekel-Chen, a dual US-Israeli citizen; Aleksander Trufanov, holding dual Russian-Israeli citizenship; and Yair Horn, a dual Argentinian-Israeli citizen.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency received the hostages in Gaza, and they are now on their way back to Israeli territory for an initial medical evaluation, as stated by the IDF.
In January, President Vladimir Putin requested that the Foreign Ministry and other relevant government entities “do everything” to ensure the release of Trufanov, a Russian citizen held by Hamas. The following day, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov announced that Hamas had conveyed assurances of Trufanov’s imminent release to Moscow.
The ambassador noted that Trufanov had sustained injuries during his captivity and described his health as “not quite satisfactory.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that the leadership of Hamas had given a “firm promise” to Russia that Trufanov would be returned “alive and well.”
According to Russian Ambassador to Qatar Dmitry Dogadkin, “Aleksander was placed on the list of hostages to be released at the first stage of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, rather than the second stage, at Russia’s request. According to the Palestinian leadership, this was done as a sign of respect for our country’s position in support of a just settlement of the Middle East conflict.”
Russia has sustained relationships with Hamas and other Middle Eastern entities, positioning itself as a mediator in the ongoing conflicts involving Israeli hostages. Moscow asserts that the two-state solution—creating the State of Palestine alongside Israel—is the only viable resolution to the long-standing Middle East crisis.
The exchange on Saturday represents the latest in a series of swaps occurring under the current ceasefire, which commenced on January 19. Thus far, Hamas has released 21 hostages, while Israel has freed over 730 Palestinian prisoners in return. There are still 73 hostages believed to be held in Gaza, with half of them feared dead.
Trufanov was abducted during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, an attack that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, with around 250 taken hostage. Over the past 15 months, Gaza health authorities report that nearly 47,000 people in the enclave have been killed.
Trufanov was kidnapped alongside his grandmother Irena Tati, mother Elena, and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. His father, Vitaly Trufanov, was killed during the attack. The women were released as part of the Hamas-Israel truce in November 2023.
The Trufanov family emigrated from Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in the late 1990s. Before being taken hostage, Trufanov worked as an engineer at Annapurna Labs, an Israeli subsidiary of Amazon, a company that has faced criticism for not publicly addressing the situation of its employee captured by Hamas.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
