In the video, Sasha Trufanov describes a lack of food, water, electricity, and other necessities.
I'm relieved to see my son alive, but I'm very worried about what he's saying, says mother Lena Trufanov, who was also taken hostage but released in November last year, to The Times of Israel.
The mother urges the Israeli government to do everything in its power to release her son and other Israeli hostages.
They don't have any time left, she says.
The video from Islamic Jihad is the third to be released with Trufanov since the Hamas terror attack on October 7 last year, according to Israeli media.
It's unclear when the clip was recorded, but Trufanov, who turned 29 two days ago – his second birthday in captivity, says in the video that he is 28.
Trufanov was captured from a kibbutz near Gaza along with three family members – his mother, grandmother, and his girlfriend. All family members have Russian citizenship, and the other family members were released about a year ago after pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin. His father was killed in the Hamas attack.
Last month, Hamas announced that Trufanov, along with other Russian-Israelis, would be the first to be released in a potential new agreement.
During the terrorist-stamped Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, around 250 people, mostly Israelis, were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. They are being held by Hamas and other armed extremist groups that participated on October 7.
During a week-long ceasefire in November, over 100 hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners. A few more Israelis have been freed by the country's military.
Currently, it is estimated that around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom about 60 are alive, according to Israel.
