Fact Check: Freed Israeli prisoner Alexander Turbanov didn’t release statement praising his captors

Claim:

Freed Israeli prisoner Alexander Turbanov released a statement praising his captors in October 2025, in which he said, in part: “Your kindness will forever be etched on my soul. I spent 498 days among you. Despite the oppression and aggression you endured, I learned from you the true meaning of manhood, pure bravery, humanity, and respect for values.”

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Context:

According to international news reports, Turbanov was a real person, though they used the name Alexander “Sasha” Trufanov. However, the quote originated from a Palestinian social media influencer who wrote it from Trufanov’s perspective. Additionally, he was released in February 2025; therefore, he was not among the prisoners returned in October 2025 as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

In October 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10. The agreement saw Hamas release the last of the surviving Israeli hostages whom they captured on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners. The deal also led to a pause in the two-year conflict, which left much of Gaza in ruin.

Following the exchange, some social media users claimed one of the released Israeli hostages praised his captors for how they treated him. For example, one Instagram user (archived) said a hostage named Alexander Turbanov released a statement describing the “kindness,” “humanity” and “respect” he experienced while imprisoned.

The quote also appeared on X (archived) and Facebook. The latter post, along with another X post (archived), added that Turbanov made this statement after the October 2025 prisoner release. The full alleged statement read:

Your kindness will forever be etched on my soul. I spent 498 days among you. Despite the oppression and aggression you endured, I learned from you the true meaning of manhood, pure bravery, humanity, and respect for values. Even in captivity, you were free, while I, being free, was a prisoner. You protected my life. Like a father treats his sons with love, you cared for my dignity, health, and honor.

Though I was in the hands of people fighting for their land and stolen freedom, and while my government was committing the worst genocide against a besieged nation, you neither starved me nor humiliated me.

I saw the real meaning of manhood in your eyes. I understood the value of sacrifice by living among you. I saw you smiling even in the face of death, against an enemy armed with weapons of mass destruction, while you had nothing but your own bodies.

Even if I tried, I couldn’t find the words to truly express your worth and status, or to reflect my astonishment and admiration for your noble character.

Does your faith really teach you to treat prisoners this way? How great is that belief that raises you to such a level where all man-made laws of human rights fall apart, and all protocols of war pale in comparison to your example.

Even in the harshest of times, your justice and mercy stood out — not just as slogans, but in your actual behavior. You never compromised on your principles, no matter how dark the circumstances were.

Believe me, if I ever return, I will live among you as a dedicated student, because I have learned the truth from your people. I have realized that you are not just the owners of the land, but the owners of principles and justice.

Turbanov, a freed Israeli-Russian prisoner — whose name was spelled as Alexander “Sasha” Trufanov in Russian and Israeli media — was a real person, according to international news reports (it is not clear why the name Turbanov was circulating on social media, though it could have been an alternative translation — Snopes will continue this article with the name Trufanov). However, he was not among the prisoners released in October 2025 and he never released this statement. Trufanov was actually released months earlier in February. We have rated this claim incorrectly attributed.

Origin of quote

Khaled Safi, a Palestinian social media influencer, was the true source of the quote. Safi posted the passage in Arabic on X (archived) in February 2025. Though not verbatim, the social media platform’s automatic translation more or less matched the quote attributed to Trufanov in October.

In multiple follow-up posts (archived, archived, archived), Safi clarified that the words were his own, not Trufanov’s, though he said he wrote them from Trufanov’s perspective.

Multiple international news media outlets reported that Trufanov was among the Israeli prisoners released in February 2025. The Israel army’s Facebook page also posted a video showing Trufanov being reunited with his family that month. Therefore, he was not among the Israeli prisoners who were released in October.

Trufanov spoke publicly at least twice between the time he was released and when the remaining living hostages were freed in October, according to Israeli news media reports. Both times, once in March and once in April, Trufanov advocated for the release of the remaining hostages, saying it should be a national priority above the total defeat of Hamas. It was not possible to find any evidence that he referenced the conditions he experienced while in captivity either time.

In April 2025, while meeting Trufanov and his family, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted his country’s role in securing Trufanov’s release and said he thought “we should express our gratitude to Hamas leaders and its political wing for accommodating our request and making this gesture.” Trufanov himself did not express similar sentiments, and instead once again focused on advocating for the release of the remaining hostages.

For further reading, Snopes has fact-checked numerous claims about the Israel-Hamas war.

Sources:

Finally Together. After 16 Months, Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov Has Been Reunited with His Family. Israel Defense Forces, https://www.facebook.com/reel/468160262894249.

Fox, Nina. “Former Hostage on Rom Braslavski’s Video: “His Eyes Are Not the Same.”” Ynetglobal, 18 Apr. 2025, www.ynetnews.com/article/bkthyokjeg. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

‘Gaza War in Maps and Satellite Images – BBC News’. News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-217c6a28-4a90-4d47-a91c-13113a7dc7db. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Graham-Harrison, Emma, et al. ‘A Visual Guide to the Destruction of Gaza’. The Guardian, 18 Jan. 2025. World News. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/18/a-visual-guide-to-the-destruction-of-gaza.

Kempinski, Yoni. ‘Sasha Trufanov Speaks for the First Time since His Release’. Israel National News, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404695. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

“Meeting with the Trufanov Family.” Kremlin.ru, 16 Apr. 2025, en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76694. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Moscow (AFP). ‘Putin Meets Russian-Israeli Hostage Released by Hamas’. France 24, 17 Apr. 2025, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250417-putin-meets-russian-israeli-hostage-released-by-hamas.

Newsroom. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=7ee8f6ccb505470487607763561c6454&mediatype=video. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Russian Citizen Alexander Trufanov Released from Hamas Captivity. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/russian-citizen-alexander-trufanov-released-from-hamas-captivity/3483228. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Safi, Khaled. “Safi X Post about Quote Origins.” X (Formerly Twitter), 15 Feb. 2025, x.com/KhaledSafi/status/1890820463833612646. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.