Russia’s Foreign Ministry demanded Friday the immediate release of two Russian-Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza, following the appearance of one captive in a video released by Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
Alexander Trufanov appeared in footage Wednesday speaking Hebrew about Israeli military operations in Lebanon and urging public pressure for hostage releases. Trufanov was captured from the Nir Oz kibbutz near Gaza during Hamas’s October 7 attack, along with his girlfriend Sapir Cohen. While his mother, grandmother, and Cohen were freed during November’s temporary ceasefire, his father Vitaly was killed in the initial assault.
“We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians in the hands of Palestinian groups, first and foremost of our compatriots Trufanov and [Maxim] Kharkin,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Kharkin was among partygoers at the Supernova music festival when Hamas militants attacked, part of a broader assault that killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. Israeli officials estimate about 65 hostages remain alive in captivity.
“The release of hostages is a priority in our contacts with representatives of the political wing of Hamas and other Palestinian organizations,” the ministry added, highlighting Russia’s diplomatic efforts with Palestinian groups. The hostage crisis remains a central issue in the ongoing conflict that has claimed more than 43,000 Palestinian lives, according to health officials in Gaza. Human Rights Watch recently accused Israel of systematically forcing mass civilian displacement in Gaza, characterizing it as a war crime and crime against humanity
