Palestine's militant group Islamic Jihad releases hostage video of Amazon worker in Gaza

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group active in Gaza, released a hostage video of an Israeli Amazon employee on Tuesday (May 28) from Gaza.

The employee was kidnapped by the terrorists during the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and has remained stuck in the war-torn enclave ever since.

Sasha Troufanov, a 28-year-old computer engineer, had worked with a Tel Aviv-based microelectronics firm Annapurna Labs, a subsidiary of Amazon.

In the video, the Amazon employee wore a black, white and red polo shirt as he addressed the people of Israel and “all of the protesters",reported The Jerusalem Post.

The Islamic Jihad hostage said that “in the next few days, you will hear the truth of what happened to me, as well as the other prisoners in Gaza.”

He further appealed to people to “wait patiently,” reported the outlet.

“The proof of life from Alexander (Sasha) Trpfanov is additional evidence that the Israeli government must give a significant mandate to the negotiating team, which will be able to lead to a deal for the return of all the hostages – the living to rehabilitation and the murdered to burial,” said the Hostages & Missing Families Forum, in a statement after the release of the video.

Troufanov was among the 250 people kidnapped by Hamas militants amid the murderous attacksin which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.

On Thursday (May 30), a new video of Alexander Trupanov byPalestinian Islamic Jihad on the electronic platform Telegram.

Alexander appeared healthy in the video. "The IDF tried to kill me a few times; thank you to the al-Quds brigade," he said.

He asked the protestors to pressurise the government and asked them, "I dont want to be the next statistic. I don't want to be the next in line, please help me come home."

Amazon employees call for release of Troufanov

In Israel, Amazon employees hung signs, created t-shirts and organised events in solidarity with Troufanov as they expressed their frustration over the management not issuing any public statement over his abduction.

Troufanov’s father, Vitali, was a Russian immigrant to Israel and was killed in the October 7 attacks. However, his mother, grandmother and girlfriend were freed by Hamas in the earlier truce.

Troufanov's close friend Neta Yessod Alon last November organised a protest action being held at the Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference organised in Las Vegas.

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"Various activities by employees expressing identification with Troufanov were given the cold shoulder by the global management," said Yessod Alon. "Amazon Israel provides help with what’s needed, but if it’s not communicated to the outside world, who is the message for?"

In response, Amazon stated, "We continue to focus all the time on all the efforts to bring Sasha back home safely and to ensure support for his family at this difficult time. Our thoughts are with them and with all those who continue to be affected by the war."

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)