In a deeply harrowing testimony, Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski revealed the unthinkable abuse he suffered while held captive in Gaza for over two years.
Braslavski, who was abducted on October 7 2023 during the festival attack, says that his captivity by militants from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) included relentless beatings, starvation, being stripped naked, and repeated sexual violence—all aimed at humiliating him because he was Jewish.
He described the daily ordeal as “hell”, saying:
“The goal was to crush my dignity. And that’s exactly what he did.”
He told media: “You just pray for it to stop … every day, every beating, I’d say to myself, ‘I survived another day in hell.’”
Highlights of his account include:
- Captured while working as a security guard at a music festival, he became one of the last hostages released in the October 2025 cease-fire deal.
- He alleges the abuse was specifically because he was Jewish—not because of his nationality or politics. He said: “They tortured me for one reason: Because I am a Jew.”
- Militants released videos during his captivity showing him emaciated, in restraints, and in visible pain.
- He claimed the cruelty “was something even the Nazis didn’t do.”
The implications of this disclosure are profound:
This account adds a deeply disturbing layer to the already vast horror of the 2023 attack and subsequent hostage crisis. It may also intensify international scrutiny of militant groups’ treatment of hostages, the role of sexual violence in conflict, and the need for accountability and justice.
