Before October 7, Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen were a couple on the brink of collapse. After a year of struggling to bridge their differences—Sasha, a young engineer focused on his career, and Sapir, ready for a serious commitment—they had reached a silent agreement: the relationship was nearing its end.
The conversation they planned to have after the Jewish holidays never happened. Instead, on that fateful Saturday, they were dragged into a nightmare that would reshape their lives and their bond in ways neither could have imagined.
Kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, the couple was separated, eventually landing in the dark, suffocating environments of Gaza captivity. Sapir was held for 55 days, while Sasha endured 498 days of isolation and brutality. During those long months, Sasha, a software engineer, faced horrific physical injuries and constant uncertainty. He revealed that after attempting to escape, he was shot in the legs and subjected to improvised, agonizing medical “treatments” by his captors.
“I’d already spent enough time sleeping alone,” Sasha said of their eventual reunion. “At first, the whole interaction was awkward. You’re having these intimate conversations with someone you’d already broken up with in your head and never expected to see again. But I discovered that we had both changed.”
Indeed, the transformation in their relationship has been nothing short of miraculous. While Sapir was in captivity, she formed an unlikely bond with Sasha’s mother, Lena, who was also being held. The two women sustained each other in the tunnels, with Sapir even taking on the role of family, imagining a future for Sasha and herself that she once thought impossible.
“I felt that I hadn’t waited all that time for nothing,” Sapir said, recalling the moment they were reunited. “This was my man. I was on cloud nine.”
Their journey, which once seemed destined for a quiet breakup, culminated in a July wedding attended by 500 guests—a celebration Sapir described as a moment of “national joy” rather than just a private event. The couple walked down the aisle to songs that held haunting significance from their time in captivity, including “MiMa’amakim,” which Sasha had heard on a radio left by a guard.
Today, the couple is learning to navigate life after trauma. They admit that while they don’t dwell on their captivity, the experience has fundamentally altered their perspective on what matters. Sasha, who once dreamed only of financial success, now seeks deeper meaning. “I can’t wait that long to find meaning in my life,” he said. “I need it now.”
As they prepare to move into a new home in Herzliya, they acknowledge the lingering weight of their ordeal. Yet, they stand together as a testament to survival, resilience, and a bond that was forged in the depths of darkness and rebuilt in the light of freedom.
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