Aleksandar Trufanov

Aleksandar Trufanov is a 29-year-old Russian-Israeli national who was recently in the news after being released from captivity by Hamas, where he had spent 498 days as a hostage. He was abducted during a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Trufanov, originally from Rostov-on-Don, emigrated to Israel in the late 1990s, served in the Israeli military, and graduated from Ben-Gurion University. His family was also affected by the conflict; his father was killed during the attack, and several family members were taken hostage. His release was part of a larger prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.