Freed hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen, who were in a relationship prior to their abduction to the Gaza Strip, announced their engagement on Wednesday.
The couple was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre while they were visiting Troufanov’s family.
Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was murdered, while he was taken hostage together with his mother, Yelena, his grandmother, Irena Tati, and Cohen.
The three women were released during the November 2023 ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin was largely credited with intervening for their return due to the family’s dual Russian-Israeli citizenship.
In the months leading up to their engagement, the couple reunited after Troufanov spent 498 days in Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity. The couple also traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin following his release.
Cohen says Troufanov believed he would not return alive
Following Troufanov’s release from captivity on February 15, Cohen told reporters at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer: “He prayed I’d find another man, thinking he’d never return. But I waited.”
On Thursday, former hostage Romi Gonen, who was released after 471 days in Hamas captivity, was discharged from Sheba Medical Center, where she had been receiving treatment for nearly five months.
Gonen underwent two complex surgeries for a gunshot wound to her right arm sustained on October 7 that was compounded by the lack of medical care while she was in Gaza. Gonen will likely have a third surgery in the coming months.
During her last day at the hospital, Gonen walked through the hospital’s corridors, personally thanking the medical staff who cared for her during her recovery.
In a post on her Instagram account, she wrote: “I was released from the hospital! I’ve been in Israel for almost six months, five of which I’ve spent here in the hospital. Today, I’m being discharged and taking another step toward my freedom.”