Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sends a message to employees saying that Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov is “incredibly safe” after being held hostage for nearly 500 days and then released from Hamas' prisoners I did.
“I feel very relieved to share the news that AWS teammate Sasha Torfanov, who had been hostage from an attack in Israel since October 7, 2023, has been released from captivity,” Jassie said. wrote in a message to employees.
Jassy says the company had a team of experts working with Troufanov's family to secure releases “behind the scenes”.
Executives explained that Amazon cannot publicly comment on the “painful” Trfanov aid.
Amazon faced criticism in May 2024 when it was revealed that Troufanov was working for the company.
At the time, some speculated that Amazon was quiet to protect itself and its brand.
But Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, Israeli vocal supporter and billionaire, has given the online shopping giant the bounty of doubt.
Torfanov worked as an electrical engineer at Amazon Web Services when he was lured during Hamas' fatal October 7 attack.
He was taken hostage with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend. He was released in November 2023 while they were under surveillance.
Torfanov's father was killed during the attack.
“It was a very tested time for everyone who knows and cares about Sasha. It's a lot of feelings of anxiety and helplessness. But we can't approach what Sasha and his family have experienced. We will continue to support them and do everything we can to help them heal,” Jassy wrote in a February 2025 message. He also expressed his hope that “the heart will go out to all who have been affected by the war” and that there is a long-term peaceful path.
On Saturday, Torfanov was released along with American citizens Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel-Chen.
However, this rarely happened a few days before his release, but Hamas threatened to delay it on suspicion of a ceasefire violation by Israel.
President Donald Trump said that if Hamas doesn't release all the remaining hostages by 12pm on Saturday, Israel should “break all hell.”
The terrorist group ultimately returned the threat Thursday, saying the release would continue as planned.
After more than 15 months of war, on January 19, Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement in which 33 hostages are expected to be released in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
