Gaza Genocide05 July, 20262 min read
Sasha Troufanov And Sapir Cohen Marry In Israel With President Isaac Herzog Attending
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Former Gaza hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen married in Israel. President Isaac Herzog attended and blessed the wedding.
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Hostages marry in Israel
Former Gaza hostages Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen married Sunday evening in Israel, with President Isaac Herzog and his wife, First Lady Michal, giving the couple a blessing from under the chuppah. The wedding followed their abduction from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre, when Troufanov’s father Vitaly was murdered and Cohen was held by Hamas terrorists for 55 days before release in November 2023.
Troufanov was held for 498 days before being released in February 2025 as part of a mediated ceasefire/hostage release deal, and the ceremony was attended by former hostages including Rom Braslavski. Herzog said he had previously stated that he would not attend any weddings until all the hostages had returned, and he posted on X: “We prayed for your return, we were moved to tears when you came back home, and this evening we were privileged to rejoice together with you and to bless you under the chuppah on your joyous day.”
Captivity memories and quotes
Under the chuppah, Troufanov told guests: “I want to thank you for coming today to share this joy with us, this evening, this emotional moment. You were with us all the way. Thank you very much. I love you.”
Ynetnews reported that among the captivity survivors at the wedding were Arbel Yehoud, Ariel Cunio, Shani Goren, Moran Stella Yanai, Rom Braslavski, Eitan Horn and Danielle Aloni.
Braslavski, who was abducted to Gaza with Troufanov in the same car trunk, posted a message recalling their time as “prisoners” of Islamic Jihad inside Rafah, writing: “Sasha, our acquaintance from Gaza may have been short, but it is etched deep in my memory.”
In the same post, Braslavski described the moment their lives diverged from captivity to the wedding canopy, writing: “How did events unfold so that we are not together in that same stinking room with rats in Rafah, but under your chuppah, as you marry the love of your heart, who was kidnapped together with you, and you are marrying her.”
War context and next wedding
The Telegraph said Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during the attack on Oct 7, 2023, and it described Israel’s response as an attack on Gaza in which more than 72,000 people have been killed, including around 500 since the ceasefire announced last October.
Haaretz reported that the wedding is the first marriage of hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and it noted that it came just days after Israel marked the 1,000th day since Oct. 7.
Haaretz also said Nitzan Alon, an Israeli army major general who was part of a small hostage negotiation team, told a conference that more hostages could have been returned alive had the Israeli government made different decisions, and Alon was present at the wedding.
Looking ahead, Haaretz reported that “Another wedding featuring a former hostage is scheduled for next month,” referring to Eliya Cohen, who was held for 505 days, and his engagement to Ziv Abud.