An Israeli man, recently released after being held hostage in Gaza for over two years, has shared harrowing details of his experience, including repeated sexual assault by members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Rom Braslavsky disclosed this in a haunting interview with Israeli media, recounting how he was captured on October 7, 2023, stripped of his dignity, starved, and abused until his release earlier this year.
“It was about humiliating me,” Braslavsky stated. “The goal was to obliterate my dignity, and they succeeded.” He described the abuse he endured as more extreme than anything seen during Nazi torture.
“Discussing it is tough; I don’t want to revisit that part,” he added, visibly shaken. “What I went through was the most terrifying. Even the Nazis wouldn’t have resorted to this kind of treatment.” This anguish echoes in his thoughts, as he reflected on the daily torment: “I would survive another day in hell, knowing every morning would be the same.” Tragically, he was taken from the Nova Music Festival where he worked as a security guard during an unprecedented attack by Hamas that claimed around 1,200 lives and resulted in numerous hostages taken.
Braslavsky recalled thinking, “You’re in a movie” during the ordeal, mentally trying to cope with the horrors while imagining himself as a character destined to survive. His captors targeted him solely for being Jewish, a brutal reminder of the hate he faced. “They beat me because I was Jewish,” he remarked, differentiating himself from political figures, asserting his identity as the sole reason for their cruelty.
In a shocking video released in August, Braslavsky appeared visibly weak and distressed, claiming he was unable to stand due to excruciating pain. This video marked the second time Palestinian Islamic Jihad publicly showcased him, the first being a scripted piece where he described his suffering as akin to living through “hell.”
Braslavsky was among the last Israeli captives freed following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel last month.
