October 7 · Personal story
Sapir Cohen
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Guest accommodation in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · November 30, 2023
Released from captivity in the seventh phase of the hostage agreement.
01
Before October 7
Sapir Cohen worked as a software engineer and was also studying acting for camera. Her relationship with Sasha Troufanov had lasted a little over a year. They had recently moved in together in Tel Aviv. In early October she was staying with him at guest accommodation in Kibbutz Nir Oz, close to his parents’ home. A later report on her Yeshiva University appearance described her as shy and unable to speak before a crowd before the events changed the direction of her public life.
02
October 7
On October 7, Sapir and Sasha were staying in guest accommodation in Nir Oz near his parents’ home. They woke to rockets and then received a warning that terrorists had entered. They hid under the bed together. Sapir later recalled shaking and repeating a prayer as they heard attackers moving through the kibbutz. The couple managed to alert his parents before contact ended. When Sapir was pulled out, she saw Sasha kneeling with blood on his face. They were separated, and she was forced onto a motorcycle and taken into Gaza.
03
In captivity
Sapir later said she spent 55 days in captivity. She was held with a frightened 16-year-old girl and decided to care for her despite her own fear and pain. The pair spent about a month hidden in a house before being told they would be moved to tunnels. When the younger captive panicked, Sapir used a joke about seeing Gaza’s “number one attraction” to make the move feel less frightening. She said taking responsibility made her feel stronger and helped her turn difficult moments into occasions to make the girl laugh.
04
Return
Sapir was released alive on November 30, 2023, after 55 days in captivity. Sasha remained in Gaza when she came home. After her return she described being moved between a house and tunnels, and joined Sasha’s mother Yelena in campaigning for his release. In a later account, she recalled initially staying in her room and crying before beginning to share her story in public.
05
After captivity
On August 27, 2024, Sapir spoke at Yeshiva University in New York about caring for a younger captive and the strength she drew from that responsibility. By then she was travelling to share her experiences and personal message of hope. On February 15, 2025, Sasha was released after 498 days. Sapir and his mother Yelena met him in Israel and embraced him. Their reunion came more than a year after Sapir’s own release.