Alexander (Sasha), Sagui, and Iair are Home

In the past week, we have witnessed the cruel psychological terror Hamas has used throughout the war once again, in an attempt to cause anguish and pain to the families of the hostages and us all.

Hamas falsely claimed that Israel violated the ceasefire agreement, threatening not to release our hostages, which would have been in itself a violation of the agreement. 

I am glad to say that this did not come to fruition, and three of our hostages - Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Iair Horn - have returned home after 498 days of suffering the horrendous conditions of Hamas captivity.

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Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov, (29), Isareli-Russian citizen

Alexandre (Sasha), from Tel Aviv, was abducted along with his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, his mother, Yelena, and his grandmother, Irina Tatti, from his parents home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he and Sapir had come to visit. All three women were released during the operational pause in November 2023, but he remained in Hamas captivity until today, more than a year later. His father, Vitaly, was killed in the October 7th massacre. In May, the Islamic Jihad published a video of Alexandre in which he "requested", among other things, to return ‘Al Jazeera’ broadcasts to Israel. On November 13, 2024, another video of Alexandre was released, just two days after celebrating his second birthday in captivity. These are prime examples of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad’s psychological terror. After so much pain and hardship, Alexandre will finally reunite with his loved ones, after close to 500 days in captivity. 

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Sagui Dekel Chen, (36), Israeli-American citizen

Sagi Dekel-Chen, husband and father of three daughters, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. During the massacre, his wife, Avital, was pregnant with their third daughter, Shachar Mazal, who was born while he was still held captive by Hamas. Sagi’s mother, Naamit Dekel-Chen, was also abducted but managed to escape after an IDF combat helicopter eliminated the terrorists who had abducted her. Sagi has not seen his daughters for nearly 500 days, while his youngest daughter has never had the chance to meet him. This is an unimaginable situation, born out of the cruelty of terror. Today, Sagi will reunite with his family and meet his third daughter for the first time.

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Iair Horn, (46), Israeli-Argentinian citizen

Iair, an active member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was abducted from his home along with his brother, Eitan, who is still being held hostage in the cruel hands of Hamas terrorists. Iair worked in construction on the Kibbutz, and was known for his devotion to the community and as a fan of the Atlanta soccer team. Their mother, Ruti, has been waiting nearly 500 days to see her sons return home. While one returns, the joy is bittersweet—as one son still remains in Hamas captivity, and she continues to wait, holding onto hope that he will survive the hardships he faces.

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As always I salute and embrace the returning hostages and their families. 

We must remember that these moments are made possible due to the heroism and bravery of our soldiers - those who gave their lives and those who were wounded in the effort to bring our people home.

We cannot and will not forget for a moment, the 73 hostages that remain in Hamas captivity, including Eitan, Iair’s brother.

Our mission is not over until every single hostage comes home.

Until they’re all back,
LTC Nadav Shoshani