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Dear A.,
U.S. citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen (36), Sasha Troufanov (29), and Iair Horn (46) were released from Hamas captivity this morning after surviving 498 days in hell.
Visibly thin and pale, the three former hostages were paraded on stage by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists in yet another despicable propaganda parade. The terrorists forced each to make a speech in Hebrew in front of the crowd, as the International Red Cross stood idly by watching the spectacle before transferring them to the IDF.
In another act of Hamas cruelty, Iair was handed an hourglass featuring images of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother, Einav, with text reading "Time is running out."
In the immediate hours after their release, the three hostages shared
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harrowing details about what they endured for nearly 500 days in Gaza.
All three were physically abused and given little food. Sagui and Iair were held together, and with other hostages, in recent days. For most of their captivity, they were kept underground in Hamas terror tunnels. Sasha was held in isolation.
The men were held in Khan Younis, mere hundreds of yards from their homes on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Dekel-Chen was working in the kibbutz’s machine shop on October 7 when the attack began. After ensuring his wife and children were safely in their home’s secure room, he confronted the terrorists and was taken captive.
Sagui was tortured by his captors and held in a Gaza hospital during his 498 days in captivity. He reportedly knew nothing about what happened to his family, mourning and crying for them while holding out hope.
He only found out that he was going to be released two days ago. Today, he reunited with his wife and daughters, including his one-year-old baby who was born while he was held hostage.
After coming home, he learned his new daughter's name for the first time: Shahar Mazal, "Dawn" "Gift."
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Sasha Troufanov was taken hostage along with three members of his family on October 7. He was shot in both legs. Sasha's grandmother, mother, and girlfriend were all released in November 2023.
His father, Vitaly, was murdered. Sasha did not know his father's fate until today.
While on the plane home to Israel, Sasha wrote a sign that said, "Thank you to everyone who came together to fight for my release and the other hostages who were freed today. Thank you to those who supported my mother this entire time. I pray for the release of the rest of the hostages left in Gaza. We don’t leave anyone behind!"
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Iair Horn was also abducted from his home on October 7, as Hamas terrorists swarmed through the kibbutz, killing or kidnapping a quarter of the community’s residents.
His younger brother, Eitan Horn, 38, who was visiting from Kfar Saba for the holiday weekend, was also kidnapped and is still held in Gaza.
Iair, an avid fan of the Hapoel Beersheba soccer team, asked to be
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flown over the team's stadium upon returning home to Israel. His hospital room was filled with the team's gear, which he proudly wore as he greeted his family.
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"Sagui, Sasha, Iair—we have waited for you so long," Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. "After the despicable and cynical ceremony you were forced to endure, we are happy that you are now being reunited with your families.
Completing a hostage deal is a human, moral, and Jewish imperative. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring back all our sisters and brothers from captivity in Gaza—until the last one returns!"
73 hostages, including 5 Americans, are still being held in Hamas' hell under Gaza.
Secretary of State Rubio lands in Israel
Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel tonight as he begins his first trip to the region since entering the administration.
According to the State Department, "The trip will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies."
We will continue to provide real-time updates on
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our social media feeds .
Cory Meyer
Director of Communications
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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