Since the massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz, its residents have been relocated to temporary housing in Kiryat Gat, leaving behind many of the kibbutz members' cats. The cats had to fend for themselves, surviving on whatever they could find, while soldiers and volunteers occasionally visited to care for them.
However, their situation recently improved thanks to a freed Gaza hostage, Yelena Trufanova. On October 7, her husband Vitaly was murdered, and she was kidnapped from her home along with her son, Sasha, and his partner, Sapir Cohen. Trufanova was freed after 54 days in captivity, returning with her mother and Sapir.
For the past few weeks, Trufanova has been visiting the kibbutz twice a week to feed the cats. "I live in Ramat Gan now, and one of the kibbutz factory workers gives me a ride to Nir Oz. I bring food we receive from donations and make sure to leave them bowls of water. The most important thing to me is for Sasha to come home safe, along with everyone else."
Since her release, Trufanova has also joined the fight for the release of the hostages, delivering speeches at rallies for their release. Last month, she and other former hostages met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After the meeting, she said:"We just came out of a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, where we shared our pain. I hope we were heard. Netanyahu looked us in the eyes and said he would do everything to bring my only son and all our loved ones home alive."
A few days later, she traveled with other families to the Gaza border, where they set up loudspeakers and called out to their loved ones. Trufanova called to her son: "Sasha, my only child, my son, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I came here hoping that you do. Sasha, my Sashinka, we are waiting for you – me, your grandmother and Sapir. We are waiting for you. Please hold on, you are strong, I know you are strong. Please, don’t lose hope. I beg you. To all decision-makers, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, please bring my son back. He is my only son. The Philadelphi Corridor isn’t going anywhere, but the hostages are."