Russian President Vladimir Putin met with an Israeli-Russian family who had been held captive in the Gaza Strip. The state leader received Alexander Trufanov, his mother Yelena and his fiancée Sapir Cohen on the late evening of Wednesday at the Kremlin. The Trufanov family moved to Israel in the 1990s. On October 7, 2023, Hamas abducted Alexander, Yelena, Sapir and Trufanov’s grandmother Irena Tati from their home in the Kibbutz Nir Oz. Father Witali Trufanov was killed during the attack. The women of the family were released during the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in November 2023. Trufanov spent 498 days in captivity before he was allowed to leave the Gaza Strip in February 2025 during the ceasefire. During the meeting with Trufanov, Putin did not give a political assessment of the situation in the Middle East, but emphasized that what happened to the family was a great misfortune. The president also pointed out that the release of Trufanov was possible due to the long-term and stable relations between Russia and the Palestinian people. Putin thanked the Hamas leadership for the “humanitarian act” of release. Just before Trufanov’s release in February, Hamas declared that this was a sign of respect for Russia’s stance in favor of a just solution to the Middle East conflict. Trufanov urged Putin to continue his efforts to free other Israeli hostages: “I know that you have done a lot so that they can also be free and happy like I am today, next to my family. That means a lot to me.” Putin promised that Russia would do everything in its power to free other hostages. According to reports by the news agency AP, at least 59 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities believe that less than half of the hostages are still alive.
Hamas Hostages Welcomed in the Kremlin
