FREED Hamas hostage Andrey Kozlov has been reunited with his air hostess girlfriend who waited for him for eight months after only days of dating.
The 27-year-old was stunned to find Jennifer Master had stood by him through his 245 days in hell and tirelessly fought for his release.
Flight attendant Jennifer, 32, has spoken of her absolute relief Andrey was saved, but warned he has returned as a "changed man" after his horrifying ordeal.
Handcuffed and bound for months on end in darkness, Andrey has revealed how his Hamas captors cruelly tried to convert him to Islam by forcing him to read the Quran every day.
He recalled how his taunting guards told him he would never leave Gaza and forced him to draw a picture of his mother whose face he struggled to recollect after eight months of captivity.
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Andrey was dramatically rescued in a major Israeli operation last Saturday alongside fellow hostages Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, and Shlomi Ziv, 41.
All four were abducted from the Nova music festival and dragged into Gaza on the morning of Hamas's October 7 killing spree in southern Israel that left 1,200 dead.
Bodycam footage of the rescue mission showed terror-stricken Andrey and Almog holding up their hands while hiding behind cushions after Israeli special forces burst into the room they were being held.
Back safely in a hospital in Tel Aviv, the Russian DJ and amateur surfer, who moved to Israel two years ago, finally laid eyes on Jennifer again.
Describing the moment, Jennifer said: "He was very surprised."
She told the Daily Mail: "I was the first to meet him. He just fell on the ground, crying. I took his brother and we are just hugging, squeezing him."
Andrey said he had feared Jennifer, who met on Bumble last August, had moved on.
But the air hostess for Israel's El Al airline said she had fallen in love with him quickly.
"He was always there for me, that's what made me love him," she explained.
Yet, their burgeoning romance was shattered when Andrey was snatched by Hamas terrorists from the music festival where he was working as a security guard.
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Jennifer had to call his parents in St Petersburg who had no idea who she was.
From then on, she worked side-by-side with his family as they fought to bring him back, even teaching his Russian mother, Eugenia, Hebrew.
Dima, Andrey's 17-year-old brother, called Jennifer a "hero", adding that his family were "endlessly grateful" for her help.
It comes as Israeli officials claimed Hamas commanders have been given orders to kill hostages if they believe IDF forces might be near.
The hostage takers have been allegedly instructed to "shoot the captives" on the spot if they believe they may be rescued, sources told The New York Times.
There are also fears a small group of hostages are being held close to Hamas terror boss Yahya Sinwar to function as human shields against a possible Israeli attack.
It is understood that Sinwar was hiding in tunnels beneath Rafah for a while, but is now believed to be in the city of Khan Younis where there is an extensive tunnel network.
Yesterday, The Sun told of a heartbroken grandson who marked 250 days since his beloved 84-year-old granddad was taken hostage with one demand - bring him home.
Like many families desperately waiting for news on their loved ones, former Israeli footballer Daniel Lifshitz Daniel said not enough is being done to rescue those still captive like his grandfather Oded.
