In his It’s Noon In Israel newsletter Amit Segal recounts the story behind the wedding of former October 7 hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen in Israel over the weekend:
Sapir was released…during the November 2023 ceasefire, not knowing whether Sasha was still alive. For Sasha, the nightmare stretched on for more than 400 days. He was shot in the legs by his captors, and by the time he was finally freed in February 2025, the injuries had gone untreated for so long that he needed extensive medical care just to begin healing.
Sasha appears to walk a little awkwardly in the video below, but his healing must be a miracle of Israeli medicine.
Former hostage Sasha Troufanov survived 498 days in Hamas captivity.
Now, he’s married his love Sapir, who never stopped fighting for his freedom.
Sapir was a hostage herself for 55 days. Emilia Aloni, a 5-year-old girl Hamas kidnapped and held for 50 days along with them,… pic.twitter.com/KXDWt9uxgy
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 5, 2026
Then five years old, Emilia Aloni was also seized and held in Gaza. She drew a picture of Sasha and Sapir’s hoped-for wedding while in the tunnels (above right). Emilia’s drawing has now come true.
Sasha’s father couldn’t make the wedding. He was murdered during the October 7 massacre. Sasha’s mother Yelena and grandmother Irena Tati were also kidnapped and released. The Times of Israel has much more here. This is a reminder that Hamas has committed unspeakable crimes against humanity.
