Statements made in praise of Hamas linked to lies in the October Druce

Hamas was released 20 Life Hostages as part of the US-Blocked Remorefire in early October 2025 between the Palestinian and Israeli warring parties. Netizens from Thailand to Mexico, said that the person who had just released recently praised Hamas and his captors for ‘courage, humanity and respect’. But the words came from a social media source who said he made them based on his own ‘feelings’ after he was captured in Israel – in Israel in February.

“Alexander turbanov, an Israeli hostage under the care of Hamas was recently released in exchange for a prisoner, he has come out to speak about Israel,” said the Israeli post, shocking on the Facebook page called “Thailand Stand with Palestine”.

“Alexander said, ‘Your kindness will fill my soul in the 498 days I lived among you. I learned from you the true meaning of manhood, pure courage, humanity and respect for values.'”

The post, shared more than 6,500 times, includes a photo of a man in a red shirt. The caption on the photo reads: “Israel’s captivity reveals his feelings after being released. ‘For 498 days, I was among you.'”

Similar posts also spread in English and Spanish, as well as on Instagram, Tiktok and X.

Other posts – including one on X that has been shared more than 18,000 times – use a different image of a red-hot man with a masked people.

The post – previously pulled by the independent wishes of the EMPTRECH Organization Stopes – Surfaced after the completion of the US-Blocker Fire initially began to work in early October (link saved).

Under the hood, Hamas brought back 20 survivors who survived the October 7, 2023 attack in the war that left Gaza and left Gaza in Guni (link saved).

In the exchange, Israel released about 2,000 prisoners, mostly Palestinians, and many Palestinian bodies.

However, a Google keyword search led by DECTICE LELD to the X Post that shared the same statement written in Arabic published in February published on February 15, 2025 (link saved).

“Your grace will fill my soul forever, for during the 498 days I live in your midst,” reads the same. “Despite the oppression and anger you endure, I learned from you the true meaning of manhood, pure courage, humanity and respect for values.”

The post includes a similar image of a person wearing a red hoodie.

User X said in the following post on February 16 that “these are not the names of the hostages” (link saved). “I wrote in management words based on my nature.”

The Russian-Israeli occupation

A combination of reverse image and keyword searches found matching images of management released from news reports identifying Alexander Trufanov.

But Trumbanov – identified by Israel as Sasha Trupanov – was released on February 15, days after the Russian Deputy Minister urged Hamas to keep its “promise” to release him (link saved).

His wife, grandmother and mother Yelena were also captured and released in the first part of the war in November 2023, but his father, Vitali Trupanov, died in the attack on October 7.

Trupanov’s family immigrated to Israel from Russia in the late 1990s. The family surname is given differently in Hebrew and Russian, where it is spelled trufanov.

A clip of trufanov in the same red shirt was published by the Times of Israel on May 30, 2024 (Archived Link).

The report said that this piece was released by the Palestinian Jihadi of the War of the Day, and it serves as his proof of life.

Meanwhile, a photo of him in a red hoodie was published by Reuters News Agency on February 15 (link saved).

Its description said that Trudakav was held by the Palestinian forces “as part of a ceasefire and hostages – prisoners were exchanged in the agreement between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, Souther Gaza strip” on the same day.

AFP published similar photos of him as one of the three Israeli hostages released on February 15.

More AFP reporting on the Gaza War can be found here.