US State Sec. Rubio lands in Tel Aviv as countries seek return of six add'l living hostages

Head of the Medical Division at the Health Ministry expressed his hope during a statement on Saturday.

"The three hostages who returned today join those who have come back in recent weeks, all of whom are receiving dedicated medical and rehabilitative care in hospitals," Dr. Hagar Mizrahi said. "The returnees will be supported by top medical teams throughout a long rehabilitation process. Hospitalization allows the hostages to receive all necessary treatment in a safe and supportive environment alongside their families, while ensuring their privacy and dignity.

"In addition to caring for the returnees, we in the healthcare system are also supporting their families. As we learned from the current framework and the events of November 2023, family members have been occupied day and night with the mission of securing their loved ones’ release, often neglecting their own health. Therefore, we are committed to providing emotional and physical care to the families as well.

"The strength of the returning hostages and their families inspires hope, but it is important to call on everyone to respect the privacy of the returnees so they can resume their lives. In these complex days, we must also remember those who are no longer with us, who paid a heavy price for this moment, as well as those who are physically and mentally wounded."

Russian ambassador Anatoly Viktorov celebrated the release of Russian-Israeli hostage Alexander Sasha Trufanov in a Saturday statement on Telegram.

"It is particularly satisfying [to see] that among those released is Alexander Trufanov, who also holds Russian citizenship, for whose release we made every possible effort," he wrote. 

"I am sincerely happy for Alexander’s family, especially, of course, for his mother, Elena Trufanova, and grandmother, Irina Tatti, with whom we remained in contact the entire time after their release with active Russian involvement in November 2023.

"I hope to personally congratulate Alexander and his family on their return to a full and normal life as soon as possible," he concluded. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the release of Ukranian-Russian citizen Alexander Sasha Trufanov to local media in a Saturday statement on Telegram. 

"Thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats, three Russian citizens—R. Krivoy, E. Trufanova, and I. Tatti—were also released in November 2023 during the so-called humanitarian pause," Zakharova wrote. "It is worth noting that they were freed unconditionally, without any demands for reciprocal steps from the Israeli side."

"We intend to continue vigorously working towards the prompt return of another compatriot still in Gaza, M. Herkin, a native of Donbas [a region in eastern Ukraine currently occupied by Russia], and also ensure that the Hamas leadership pays due attention to other humanitarian requests from the Russian side."

Alexander Sasha Troufanov, 29, from Tel Aviv, was abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz while visiting his family. His mother Yelena, grandmother Irina, and partner Sapir Cohen were also taken. His father was killed that day.

While his family was released in November 2023, Troufanov remained in Islamic Jihad captivity for nearly 500 days until his release on Saturday. Amazon, where he worked as an artificial intelligence chip engineer, offered no public support for efforts to secure his freedom.

Amazon’s silence drew widespread criticism. Major global corporations often express solidarity with employees in crisis, but Amazon made no mention of Troufanov’s abduction in official statements. Reports suggested that management advised employees to avoid public support, seen as an attempt to maintain neutrality.

369 Palestinian security prisoners were released in exchange for hostages Sagui Dekel Chen, Alexander Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn on Saturday in the sixth wave of the hostage deal's first phase between Israel and Hamas.

Among the 369 are notable terrorists with blood on their hands and are serving life sentences, according to army radio.

All the prisoners were given and made to wear sweatshirts by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) bearing the message in Arabic: "We will not forget nor forgive" as well as the Star of David symbol.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, following the release of former hostages Sagui Dekel Chen, Alexander Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, that preparations were underway for “what comes next.”

Netanyahu welcomed home the three men who had spent nearly 500 days captive after being abducted from southern Israel. 

“We welcome them with a big embrace,” Netanyahu wrote. “We have prepared for their return, and along with their families, we will assist in their rehabilitation after a long and excruciating period of captivity.”

Hamas placed a picture of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother on the stage, where three hostages about to be released were forced to speak on Saturday, with the caption “Time is running out.”

Zangauker’s image appeared beside an hourglass, an symbol used in many of Hamas’s psychological terror videos of the hostages.

His mother, Einav, confirmed in September that her son was alive and being kept alongside ten other living hostages.

Dozens of friends and activists from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum gathered Saturday morning in Kfar Saba, filled with anticipation and excitement ahead of the release of Iair Horn, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz with his brother Eitan.

Michal Elia, an activist in the Kfar Saba branch of the forum who accompanied the family, told Maariv: “We got to know Ruti, their mother, after October 7 and supported her throughout the entire journey. There were ups and downs, but we always remained optimistic. She always remained optimistic, and she was the one who gave us strength. She would always encourage us, and we became part of the family. We are one big family.

“With the murder of the six hostages in the tunnel by Hamas, it was a major crisis, but we rose up and persisted," Elia added. "We kept saying together, all the time, that this exciting day would come. I cried from excitement when I heard that Iair was being released, but we must remember that his brother, Eitan, is still there.