Latest news with #Troufanov
Russia Today
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Putin meets with former Israeli hostages
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with an Israeli-Russian family that had been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. He spoke with Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, his mother Elena, and fiancée Sapir Cohen in the Kremlin on Wednesday. The Troufanovs immigrated to Israel from Russia in the 1990s. On October 7, 2023, Hamas abducted Alexander, Elena, and Sapir from the kibbutz Nir Oz. The Palestinian militants also abducted Troufanov's grandmother, Irena Tati. His father, Vitaly Troufanov, was killed in the attack. Troufanov's mother, grandmother, and fiancée were released during a weeklong ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in November 2023. Troufanov was freed during the truce in February 2025, after spending 498 days in captivity. Putin said that he would like to see the remaining Israeli hostages returned home. 'I hope that everyone who is currently in the same situation you were in will be freed,' he said. 'I'm very happy to see you here and want to wish you all the best,' he added. Read more Israel demands Hamas leave Gaza According to Putin, the Troufanovs were released because 'Russia maintains stable, long-standing relations with the Palestinian people, as well as their representatives and organizations.' Alexander Troufanov asked Putin to continue his efforts to broker the release of the Israelis still held in Gaza. 'I know that you've done a lot so that they, too, can be free and happy – just as I am today, sitting alongside my family. That means a great deal to me,' he said. Putin replied, 'We will, of course.' According to AP, at least 59 hostages remain in Gaza, although Israeli officials believe that less than half of them are alive. Israel continued its airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza last month, after the sides failed to agree on the implementation of the second phase of an internationally brokered ceasefire.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Amazon workers equate release of ex-hostage Sasha Troufanov with terrorists' release
Amazon workers spread conspiracy theories about Israeli control of American leaders and drew an equivalence between Palestinian terrorists and Sasha Troufanov, an employee of the company who was taken hostage by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Oct. 7, 2023, and released last month, Jewish Insider learned over the weekend. In messages viewed by JI from an Amazon employee Slack channel called '#arabs,' one staffer wrote: Yes Hamas will release 3 Israelis, one being Sasha, in exchange for 369 Palestinian hostages kept in Israeli dungeons. Over 40 employees sent emojis expressing approval. One responded: Praying Israel doesnt re-kidnap them again after their long awaited release, as has been the case many times. An Israeli employee noted in the channel that the Palestinians the original poster referred to as hostages included Ahmed Barghouti, who was involved in several terrorist attacks in which 12 Israelis were murdered; Mantzur Sharim, who was involved in a mass shooting at an event hall in Hadera in which six Israelis were killed and 26 wounded; and Nael Obeid, convicted in connection to the 2003 Cafe Hillel bombing in which seven Israelis were murdered and 57 wounded. Are you praying for these hostages'? she wrote. According to an Amazon source, the Israeli employees message was deleted by moderators soon after. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy did not publicly refer to Troufanov being held hostage during the 498 days the Amazon Web Services engineer was captive in Gaza. After Troufanovs February release, Jassy wrote to Amazon employees that he was incredibly relieved. Jassy said the company had a dedicated team working behind the scenes with experts to support efforts to secure their release and to ensure that we did the right thing for them and their safety (including painfully not commenting publicly for fear that we would negatively impact their ability to be released or how they were treated in captivity). Israeli media reported that Troufanov was in isolation for most of the 16 months that he was held hostage and underwent physical abuse. In another message on the #arabs channel, an Amazon employee shared a post from X claiming that legislation to ban TikTok unless it is no longer under the Chinese Communist Partys control came from the Israel Lobby, which, the X post suggested, are the Anti-Defamation League and former Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, who is Jewish. Evoking conspiracy theories about Jewish control of government, the Amazon employee who shared the post wrote that the proposed bill has never been about security concerns or China. Its all because of Gaza. At the start of the most recent cease-fire in January, when Israel allowed Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, participants in the #arabs channel celebrated. Netsarim has fallen, the colonizers have fallen, and soon we shall all return, one Amazon employee wrote, adding a Palestinian flag. Dozens of employees responded with approving emojis. Some responded with keys, a symbol of Palestinians hoping to return to homes their families lost in Israels War of Independence, which they refer to as the Nakba. Scenes of the Holy Return burn the hearts of terrorists, shatter their dreams of displacement and pave the way for the Great Return of all indigenous people to the Holy Land, read another post, which received nine key emojis in response, as well as hearts and Palestinian flags. In that vein, an employee wrote that he asks Allah to return to Bait Nabala, a village that was near what is now Ben Gurion Airport. Inshallah [God willing] we will return and build houses and schools there one day, he wrote. One posted a photo that appeared to be of masses of Palestinians moving north with a large Palestinian flag. Palestine has room for only one flag, and these are its colours, he wrote. One of the reaction emojis was of an Israeli flag. One Amazon worker suggested that they ignore such attempts to provoke at work: Outside of work we can take legal means to challenge them. Its nice to remind the world how Zionism is an evil minority, the original poster wrote. Taking offense at the Israeli flag was a recurring theme in the Slack channel. A Sweden-based employee posted photos of Medjool dates that he saw in the supermarket, the packaging of which featured the silhouette of the map of Israel, but with a Palestinian flag. The box also had a keffiyeh pattern and a picture of the Dome of the Rock and part of the Western Wall on it, and the words free Palestine. In addition to the many supportive emojis, six responded with Israeli flags. Remove your emoji. Such racist behavior will not be tolerated at Amazon, someone wrote, tagging an Israeli. Posting the map of my country with [an]other flag is offensive as well, just saying, a different Israeli employee wrote back. You are posting a flag associated with genocide of Palestine in an Arabs slack, the Amazon worker responded. Another employee posted a screenshot of a list of the employees who reacted with an Israeli flag. An Amazon spokesperson told JI in response that 'many of these assertions lack important context, and it's inaccurate and misleading to suggest we tolerate hostility in our workplace. We realize this has been a difficult time for many, and we remain focused on supporting all of our employees.' In addition, the spokesperson said that they are 'very relieved that our colleague, Sasha Troufanov, who had been held hostage was released. We're grateful that he is reunited with his family, and we're focused on supporting them during this time.' Amazon has a policy of regularly reviewing internal content, such as Slack channels, to address concerns. An attempt by JI to contact Troufanov for a response via the Hostages Families Forum did not receive a response. Jewish and Israeli Amazon employees have complained about the companys tolerance for antisemitism and anti-Israel incitement on internal chats since the Oct. 7 attacks, including denial that the attacks took place, claiming that Israel was to blame for the mass casualties and calling for the elimination of Israel. The workers, speaking to JI on condition of anonymity, said that the company did not deal with the internal complaints they opened. At the time, an Amazon spokesperson said in response to the employees' allegations: 'We don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind in the workplace. We investigate all reported incidents of such behavior and take appropriate action against any employee who is found to have violated our policies, up to and including termination.' Amazon also told JI this week that the company supports a variety of employee groups. Late last year, in a video promoting an event for Amazon Web Services, the subsidiary of the company where Troufanov worked, an executive wore a necklace shaped like the map of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza with a Palestinian flag across it. Amazon has over 1,000 employees in Israel, to whom it offered financial assistance after the Oct. 7 attacks.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel, Hamas Complete Their Latest Exchange as Ceasefire's First Phase Has Just 2 Weeks Left
Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Saturday with just over two weeks remaining in their fragile Gaza ceasefire's initial phase, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel to begin a Middle East tour. The three hostages — Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, 46; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29 — seemed in better condition than the emaciated ones freed a week ago. Troufanov was informed of his father's death in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the 16-month war. Chen was meeting his youngest daughter for the first time. Horn's brother, Eitan, remains in captivity. Armed gunmen made the pale, worn men speak to a crowd before handing them over to the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Younis. The 369 Palestinian prisoners were later released. A tense dispute had threatened to derail the ceasefire, but Hamas said Thursday it would move ahead with the planned exchange after it said mediators Egypt and Qatar pledged to "remove all hurdles" so Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into devastated Gaza. US President Donald Trump's proposal to remove Gaza's over 2 million Palestinians and settle them elsewhere in the region also shook the truce. Rubio will hear more about that, starting with his meeting Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump on Saturday posted on social media that "Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O'CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!" Israel has not imposed such a deadline. Netanyahu's office said he would convene the Cabinet as soon as possible to decide on next steps. In the occupied West Bank, released prisoners were greeted by a cheering crowd. Some appeared gaunt, and the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said four were taken for treatment. Buses transported 333 others to Gaza. The ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners had been freed during the truce's first phase. There have not been substantive negotiations over the ceasefire's second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for ending the war. The three hostages had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community hard-hit in the Oct. 7 attack. Horn was taken with his brother, who is not expected to be released in the ceasefire's first phase. "Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza," his family said. "Now, we need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe." Chen's wife, Avital Dekel Chen, hid in a safe room with their daughters. She gave birth to their third daughter two months later. She told Israeli media she was overwhelmed with happiness to see her husband back in Israel, where he was meeting his youngest daughter, Shachar. Troufanov was taken hostage with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The women were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. His family said they were "overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude" Saturday. Of the 251 people abducted during the Oct. 7 attack, 73 remain in Gaza, around half believed to be dead. Nearly all are men, including Israeli soldiers. One hostage, 65-year-old Keith Siegel, said Friday in a video message addressed to Trump that his captors treated him worse as the war intensified, kicking him, spitting on him and holding him without water or light. The released Palestinian prisoners included 36 serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. They include Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide of militant leader and iconic Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti. Twenty-four of those will be exiled abroad. "When I saw my son, my soul came back to me again and I came back to life," said Om Bashar, mother of Hassan Aweis, sentenced to life in 2002 on charges of voluntary manslaughter, planting an explosive device and attempted murder. Israel also committed to releasing over 1,000 detained from Gaza provided they did not participate in the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli Prison Service released the Palestinians in sweatshirts emblazoned with a Star of David and the phrase "Never forgive, never forget" in Arabic. Some threw their sweatshirts on the ground and burned them. Truce remains fragile Netanyahu's far-right allies want the war to resume in early March with the goal of destroying Hamas. The group remains in control of the territory after one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. Hamas may be unwilling to release more hostages if it believes the war will resume. Many Israelis want a deal to bring all remaining hostages home, fearing time is running out. They urge Netanyahu to send a senior-level delegation to talks on the ceasefire's second phase. "Any other decision is sabotage that endangers the lives of the abductees," Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, told Saturday's rally in Tel Aviv. A new challenge is Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, welcomed by Israel's government. It has been rejected by Arab countries and Palestinians, who fear they won't be able to return. Human rights groups say the relocation could amount to a war crime. Trump also proposed that once the war ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would redevelop it as the "Riviera of the Middle East." At its height, the war displaced 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes during the ceasefire, though many found only rubble, human remains and unexploded ordnance. The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of Palestinian inmates released as hostages return to Israel
Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday after three more Israeli hostages returned home following 16 months of captivity in Gaza, as a fragile ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Islamist group Hamas continues to hold. Four buses carrying prisoners freed in exchange for the three men have arrived in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. Another minibus transporting eight inmates held at Israel's Ofer Prison in the West Bank reportedly reached Ramallah, where the prisoners were greeted by overjoyed relatives, as seen on footage of their arrival. It comes after Palestinian militant organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad handed over the three hostages to representatives of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Iair Horn, 46, were reunited with their families upon their return to Israel. Troufanov had been held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while the other two had been held by Hamas following their abduction during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. In exchange for their release, a total of 369 Palestinians were set to be released on Saturday, including 333 inmates arrested in the Gaza Strip following October 7, as well as 36 detainees from the West Bank and East Jerusalem sentenced to life imprisonment. Due to the severity of their offences, some of them have been barred from returning home and will be brought abroad instead, according to the agreement. The swap comes after a week full of fears that the ceasefire agreement was on the brink of collapse, after Hamas accused Israel of violating the terms of the deal. Last-minute negotiations managed to avoid this. Hostage families express relief Relatives of Dekel-Chen rejoiced at the sight of the 36-year-old man, saying he would now see his two daughters again, as well as his youngest daughter who was born while he was in Gaza. Dekel-Chen's third child was born more than a year ago while he was held hostage in the Gaza Strip. "Our hearts hurt mainly because of what he has missed," the family said in a statement issued by a forum of the relatives of the hostages. Images published on Israeli media showed relief on the faces of the relatives of Horn, who had lost half his weight while held hostage, according to relatives. "Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza," his family said. They are still awaiting the return of his brother. The relatives of Troufanov also expressed relief at the release of the 29-year-old man. "We are overwhelmed by emotions and gratitude for Sasha's return home after 498 long and agonizing days in captivity," they said. Israeli president slams handover ceremony During the handover broadcast live on television, the three Israeli hostages were led onto a stage by masked and armed fighters and forced to speak into a microphone, clutching "release documents" and what appeared to be "gift bags" from Hamas. They did not look as emaciated as the Israeli hostages released last week. Hundreds of onlookers gathered to observe the men's release. Armed Hamas members took up position in and on a nearby destroyed building. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the "cynical ceremony" held in Gaza while at the same time expressing joy at the hostages' release. "After the despicable and cynical ceremony you were forced to endure, we are happy that you are now being reunited with your families," Herzog posted on X. Despite Israel's military campaign launched following the October 7 attacks that has laid much of Gaza to ruin, the Islamist group continues to put on a show of force during the hostage handovers to present itself as invincible. One of Israel's stated aims in the war is to completely eliminate Hamas. 73 still remain in Gaza The Gaza war began after after Hamas and allied groups killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted more than 250 to the coastal strip on October 7, 2023. According to Palestinian data, more than 48,200 Palestinians have died in the following 15 months of fighting between Hamas and Israel in the sealed-off coastal territory. The future of the ceasefire had been uncertain for days after Hamas announced a suspension of the hostage releases, claiming Israel was violating agreements and blocking aid deliveries. US President Donald Trump then issued an ultimatum, demanding the release of all hostages by Saturday midday, warning that otherwise "all hell will break loose." Following last-minute negotiations mediated by Egypt, Hamas relented and passed on the names of the three men to be released on Saturday. After their release, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to say that "Israel will now have to decide what they will do" about his deadline for the release of "all hostages." "The United States will back the decision they make!" he added. Under the current ceasefire, which took effect on January 19, a total of 33 Israeli hostages are set to be released from Gaza in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners during an initial six-week phase. So far, Hamas has released a total of 19 hostages under the latest ceasefire deal, in addition to five Thai nationals abducted from Israel. Another 14 hostages, including eight said to be dead, are set to be released over the next two weeks. A total of 73 hostages are still held in Gaza, with more to be released during a second phase of the agreement, which has yet to be negotiated. Some 36 of them are believed to be no longer alive.
Dubai Eye
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Three Israeli hostages freed, Israel begins releasing Palestinians
Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov were freed in Gaza on Saturday and Israel began releasing some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, after mediators helped avert a ceasefire collapse. The three were led onto a stage with Hamas membersarmed with automatic rifles standing on each side of them at the site in Khan Younis, live footage showed. The three are being returned in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, a swap which eases fears that the agreement could collapse before the end of a 42-day ceasefire. In what has become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, people broke into cheers and tears when they heard the Red Cross was on its way to deliver the three to Israeli forces in Gaza. They appeared relieved to see the three were in apparently better condition than another three freed last week who appeared emaciated and weak. Dekel-Chen, a US-Israeli, Troufanov, a Russian Israeli, and Horn, whose brother Eitan was also abducted, were seized in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities around the Gaza Strip that was overrun by Hamas gunmen on October 7, 2023. Dozens of armed militants were deployed at the site of the release. Some Hamas fighters at the site are carrying rifles seized from the Israeli military during the October 7 attack, Hamas sources said. Troufanov was kidnapped with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend - all of whom were released in the brief November 2023 truce. His father was killed in the attack on Nir Oz, one of the worst hit communities, where one in four people either died or were taken hostage. Hamas had earlier threatened not to release more hostages after it accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire by blocking aid from entering Gaza, drawing counterthreats of a resumption of fighting from Israel, which called up reservists and placed its forces on high alert. The emaciated appearance of the three hostages released last week and accounts of abuse by other hostages released since January 19 when the ceasefire took effect have set off Israeli protests demanding that the government stick to the ceasefire and proceed with the next stage of the deal to bring all the hostages home. In an apparent effort to head off some of the criticism of hostage mistreatment, Islamic Jihad, the militant group that is allied with Hamas and is holding Troufanov, released a video of him on Friday, showing him eating and fishing at the Gaza beach. Prospects for the ceasefire surviving have also been clouded by US President Donald Trump's call for Palestinians to be moved permanently out of Gaza, and for the enclave to be turned over to the United States to be redeveloped. That call was strongly rejected by Palestinian groups, Arab states and Western allies. Hamas agreed last month to hand over 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children and sick, wounded and older men, in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, during a six-week truce during which Israeli forces would pull back from some of their positions in Gaza. Before Saturday, 16 of the 33 Israeli hostages had been returned, along with five Thais who were handed over in an unscheduled release. That left 76 hostages still in Gaza, only around half of whom are thought to be alive. The truce was intended to open the way for a second phase of negotiations to return remaining hostages and complete the withdrawal of Israeli forces before a final end to the war and the rebuilding of Gaza, which now lies largely in ruins, facing shortages of food, running water and electricity.
