JERUSALEM (VINnews)  — Former hostage Yelena Trufanov gave an interview on Monday to Kan Reshet Bet, where she shared her emotions following the wedding of her son, former hostage Sasha Trufanov, to his fiancée, fellow former hostage Sapir Cohen.

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Speaking on the program “Bahatzi Hayom” (“Midday”), Trufanov said: “It was an incredibly moving and joyful event. We prayed for this for such a long time. It felt like a beautiful dream. Everyone who stood by us during that difficult period came to celebrate with us. Everyone was dancing, and it was truly very emotional.”

During the interview, Yelena recounted a drawing that Emilia Aloni made for her while they were held together in Hamas captivity. The drawing depicted Sasha and Sapir’s future wedding—even before Yelena knew whether her son was still alive.

“It was very important to me to smuggle that drawing out of captivity and keep it because it gave me hope that this day would come,” Yelena revealed.

When asked how she managed to bring the drawing out despite the captors’ ban on keeping notes or papers, she replied:”I hid it underneath my shirt. I told myself, ‘Whatever happens, happens. I don’t care.'”

Yelena also spoke about the deeply personal decision she made after her release not to visit the grave of her husband, Vitaly Trufanov, who was murdered on October 7, until their son Sasha returned from captivity.

“I told myself: Either I will go there with our son, or I will go lie beside him. I didn’t want to go alone.”

She added that only after Sasha returned did they visit the grave together, accompanied by Vitaly’s mother and brother, to tell him about the wedding. “He was missing yesterday, but I’m certain he was watching us from above.”

Speaking about the changes her son underwent during his long and difficult captivity, Yelena said: “He came back a much more sensitive person, and also a believer. He was there for 498 days, 495 of them completely alone. He told me he had a great deal of time to think about life and to engage in deep self-reflection. He came back a better person.”

Sapir and Sasha on their engagement

According to Yelena, the newly married couple is now focused on building their future together. “They’re planning to build a home, and, with God’s help, I hope they’ll also have children. Right now, what’s most important to them is simply to grow and build their lives together.”