A new daughter, a murdered father, a brother captive: Joy and anguish as hostages released
Emotional reunions as Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn freed after 498 days in captivity in Gaza, reunited with families and airlifted to hospital in Israel
The three Israeli hostages released by Gaza terror groups on Saturday were quickly transported to emotional reunions with family members, with joy and excitement mingling with sorrow and pain. One hostage was told the name of his new daughter, born two months after he was abducted, and pronounced himself delighted. Another learned that his father had been slain on October 7, 2023. A brother of the third was still in captivity.
After being transferred to the Red Cross, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn, were handed over to Israel Defense Forces special forces who escorted them out of the Gaza Strip, to an IDF base near Re’im, where they were united with immediate family and underwent basic medical evaluations.
After determining that there was no need for urgent medical evacuations to nearby hospitals after 498 days held hostage by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the three hostages and their family members were airlifted by helicopter to the Sourasky and Sheba hospitals in central Israel, where they were to undergo observation and begin their rehabilitation.
‘Do you remember what you called her’
US-Israeli citizen Dekel-Chen, 36, was reunited with his wife Avital, who was seven months pregnant when he was taken hostage, his mother Neomit, who was also briefly captured by terrorists on October 7 before managing to escape, and his father Jonathan.
A video published by the military showed the embraces. “You are a champion,” Avital told him as she wept into his shoulder.
“How you looked after me and cared for me,” Dekel-Chen told his mother, who hugged him in silence.
Sagui’s father Jonathan, a Connecticut-born Hebrew University professor, greeted him in English, saying “welcome back” as he hugged him and kissed him twice on the cheek.
Freed hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen is reunited with his wife Avital and parents Neomit and Yonatan at an IDF facility near the Gaza border, February 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
But the most emotional moment was when Sagui found out the name of his third daughter, who was born two months after he was abducted and is now more than a year old.
“Do you remember what you called her?” Avital asked Sagui, referring to the girl’s baby bump nickname.
“Mazal!” he exclaimed in surprise.
“So that’s what she’s called, Shachar Mazal,” Avital responded.
“It’s perfect,” he said. Shachar is Hebrew for “dawn”; mazal means “luck.”
According to Channel 12, Dekel-Chen was informed about his daughter by IDF personnel who collected him from the Red Cross.
Asked about his medical condition, the network said Dekel-Chen replied: “I’m great, I’m great, I have a daughter.”
Additional images showed Dekel-Chen with his wife on an IDF chopper on their way to the hospital. On a whiteboard, Dekel-Chen wrote to his daughters: “Bari, Gali, Shachar, thanks for keeping me safe. Dad’s on his way.”
Dekel-Chen saw Hamas-led terrorists entering Nir Oz and was among the first to raise the alarm. He was last heard from at 9:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023, according to his father.
Dekel-Chen was working in the kibbutz’s machine shop when the attack began, his family said. After ensuring his wife and children were safely in their home’s secure room, he confronted the terrorists and was taken captive.
We need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe
For Argentine-Israeli Iair Horn, the reunion with his family was bitter-sweet as his brother Eitan is still held hostage and not slated for release in the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire agreement.
Horn’s mother Ruth Strom and and his brother Amos greeted him at the IDF facility, with both embracing him in silence.
Freed hostage Iair Horn embraces his brother Amos and mother Ruth Strom at an IDF facility near the Gaza border, February 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Horn’s father Itzik was to be reunited with him later at the SourAsky Hospital in Tel Aviv, where Itzik is recovering after undergoing a kidney transplant.
“Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza. Now, we need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe,” the family said in a statement after Iair’s release.
Iair’s love for his favorite soccer team Hapoel Beersheba, was front and center in his release.
His brother Amos was wearing a Hapoel shirt to greet him and IAF helicopter pilots fulfilled his request to fly over the team’s Turner Stadium home field as he was airlifted to a hospital, with the crowd cheering as he went by.
מרגש עד דמעות: לבקשתו האישית, המסוק ובו יאיר הורן ערך סיבוב מעל אצטדיון טרנר לפני ההגעה לבית החולים ❤️ pic.twitter.com/b7AiqvdTG3
— Hapoel Be'er Sheva ???????? (@HBS_FC) February 15, 2025
Aboard the helicopter, Iair sent a message to his other brother who remains in Hamas captivity, writing on a whiteboard “Eitan, you’re next!”
After arriving at the medical center in Tel Aviv, Iair met with his father, who is hospitalized after undergoing a kidney transplant.
Freed hostage Iair Horn embraces his father Yitzhak at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, February 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Horn’s room at the hospital was filled with Hapoel Beersheba paraphernalia, including stuffed animals and a personalized jersey.
Iair is known for organizing Purim parties and managing the kibbutz pub. Friends and family describe him as someone who loves life and is deeply connected to his family and kibbutz community.
Deep mourning for his beloved father
The military later released footage of Troufanov’s reunion with his girlfriend Sapir Cohen and his mother Yelena, who became religiously observant over the past year. She traveled Friday to the site to avoid doing so on Shabbat.
“Thanks to everyone who joined the struggle for this entire period for my release and for the rest of the hostages that were sent home today with me. Thanks to those who supported my mother throughout this difficult period,” he wrote on a whiteboard aboard a military helicopter. “I wish for the return of the rest of the hostages that are still left in Gaza as soon as possible, and not to leave anyone behind!!!”
Released hostage Sasha Troufanov reunites with his mother Yelena and partner Sapir Cohen, at an IDF facility near Re’im, February 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The joy of Troufanov’s release mingled with sorrow as he was informed that his father Vitaly was killed on October 7 amid the Hamsas onslaught.
“This knowledge – or lack thereof – will completely transform his homecoming from a day of great joy to one of deep mourning for his beloved father,” the family said in a statement as he was released.
Troufanov, 29, was taken hostage along with three members of his family — grandmother Irena Tati, his mother and his girlfriend — from their home in the Gaza border community. The three were released during a November 2023 truce.
Tati spoke with her grandson in a video call following his release from Gaza, before being reunited with her in person.
Moscow has pushed for Troufanov’s release multiple times since he was abducted, including since the January ceasefire was announced. He was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which published several videos of him in captivity.
Troufanov worked as an engineer in Amazon’s cloud division. His family immigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union 25 years ago.
