‘I can breathe again’: Families react with joy, relief as loved ones freed from Gaza
Relatives celebrate return of Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Troufanov, note concerns about their conditions after 498 days in captivity: ‘Main thing is that it’s behind us’
As their loved ones were released from 16 months of captivity in a propaganda-filled Hamas ceremony in Khan Younis, the families of Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Troufanov reacted with a mix of joy and anxiety watching the live feed from Gaza.
Commenting on Horn’s dramatic weight loss from 498 days as a hostage, one relative exclaimed: “He’s half [of his usual self].”
Sergio Horn, Iair’s uncle, told Channel 12 that his nephew is “very thin,” appears to have aged and looks more dour than usual (which he noted is natural) but seems overall “much better than I expected.” He joked that his nephew previously tried to lose weight for some time.
Horn’s uncle added that it was difficult to watch Hamas’s “circus” at the handover to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, but “the main thing is that it’s behind us.”
“We’re stronger, we’re okay, things will be okay — the main thing is that he’s on his way back to us,” he said.
The family had not received a sign of life from Iair or his brother Eitan since November 25, 2023, during the last hostage deal. Sergio’s sister, Ruth Strom, Iair and Eitan’s mother, kept the family optimistic with her firm belief that her sons were still alive, the uncle said.
Sagui Dekel-Chen’s family reacted with joy to his release, with a video showing his relatives screaming and clapping upon seeing him for the first time after over 16 months in captivity.
משפחתו של שגיא דקל חן ברגעי שחרורו@NOFARMOS pic.twitter.com/odASNAMud5
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 15, 2025
“He’s alright, he’s alright, he’s alright,” one relative repeated, with her hand to her chest.
The family popped champagne once it was reported that the three captivity survivors were in Israeli hands, recited the traditional “Shehecheyanu” blessing of thanks, and sang a Hebrew pop song with the lyrics: “God will always love me, and I will only be well.”
Avital Dekel-Chen was pregnant when her husband was kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Sagui Dekel-Chen has yet to meet his daughter, Shachar, who is more than a year old.
“I can breathe again,” Avital was quoted as saying by Channel 12.
His sister-in-law Pazit, who is hosting Dekel-Chen’s family due to the destruction in Kibbutz Nir Oz, said he “looks okay,” but “we don’t really know what his condition is. All that’s left is to hug him.”
Avital told Channel 12 of her happiness to see Sagui released and her delight that he now knows he has a third daughter.
She said she would tell him she is so sorry it took so long for him to be freed, and that “all of Israel is with him.” She added that “there are more little children waiting for their fathers” and Israel “must do all we can” to get the rest of the hostages home.
According to the network, Dekel-Chen was “all smiles” as Israeli officials notified him that he has a third daughter.
Asked about his medical condition, the network said Dekel-Chen replied: “I’m great, I’m great, I have a daughter.”
Sasha Troufanov’s family also celebrated his release from captivity.
“We are overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for Sasha’s return home after 498 long and tormenting days in captivity. On October 7, Sasha was brutally kidnapped from his home and shot in both legs. Seeing him today strengthens us and gives us great hope for the long rehabilitation process ahead of him,” it said in a statement after he was freed.
The family thanked IDF soldiers, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum “and especially all citizens of Israel for their embrace, support and unwavering faith.”
At the same time, they noted they did not know whether Troufanov knew his father was murdered on October 7: “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.”
‘Sorry and welcome back’
Holding up signs reading “sorry and welcome back” and “complete the ceasefire,” hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Saturday to watch Hamas release the three Israeli hostages from Gaza.
In Kfar Saba, a friend of the Horn family, Ronnie Milo, told the Kan public broadcaster that she could not find the words to describe the feeling of seeing Iair on the screen.
She said she had come to know the family well in the months after the October 7 attack, especially Horn’s mother.
“But suddenly to see him stepping out of the photo and standing on his feet, it is overwhelming,” Milo said.
“We need to see all the other hostages released, including Iair’s brother, who is still there,” she added.
The Prime Minister’s Office also cheered the three hostages’ return, in a statement that said: “We welcome them with a big embrace.”
“We have prepared for their return, and together with their families, we will assist in their rehabilitation after the long and agonizing days in captivity,” the statement said.
“This week, too, Hamas attempted to violate the agreement and create a false crisis with baseless claims. Thanks to the deployment of our forces inside and around Gaza, and thanks to President Trump’s clear and unequivocal statement, Hamas backed down, and the release of the hostages continued,” the statement added, referring to the American leader’s demand for Hamas to release all the hostages on Saturday.
“We are working in full coordination with the United States to rescue all our hostages — both the living and the fallen — as quickly as possible, and we are fully prepared for what comes next, in every respect.”
With Saturday’s release of the three captives, Palestinian terror groups have freed 19 Israelis and five Thai hostages under the ceasefire arrangement, which also requires Israel to free some 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, including over 270 terrorists serving life sentences.
But serious doubts remain over subsequent stages of the deal, which have yet to be negotiated.
Seventy of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Before the current ceasefire, the terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
