Rom Braslavski Recounts Torture, Sexual Assault During Gaza Captivity By The Media Line Staff Freed Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski said in an interview preview released Wednesday that Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors in Gaza subjected him to repeated sexual assault and torture during nearly two years in underground captivity. Braslavski, seized on October 7, 2023, while working security at the […]
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The Media Line: Rom Braslavski Recounts Torture, Sexual Assault During Gaza Captivity
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Rom Braslavski Recounts Torture, Sexual Assault During Gaza Captivity
By The Media Line Staff
Freed Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski said in an interview preview released Wednesday that Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors in Gaza subjected him to repeated sexual assault and torture during nearly two years in underground captivity.
Braslavski, seized on October 7, 2023, while working security at the Nova festival near Re’im, recounted being stripped, bound, and deprived of food. In the excerpts, he describes the abuse as designed to degrade him: the point, he said, was to “break my dignity.” He added that speaking about the assaults remains the most difficult part of his ordeal, calling it “the worst thing,” and said there were moments when he felt he was “face to face with evil.” The full interview is slated to air Thursday night on Israel’s Channel 13.
His account appears to be the first by a male former hostage publicly alleging sexual assault in captivity, following earlier testimonies from released female hostages. Braslavski said that each day brought more beatings and that he measured time by surviving “another day in hell” with no sense of when it would end.
Braslavski was freed last month as part of a ceasefire arrangement that secured the release of the final 20 living hostages still held in Gaza. Since that deal, Hamas has transferred the bodies of 22 among the 28 hostages who were confirmed deceased at the time of the truce.
Family members have previously described the physical and psychological toll of his captivity. Days after his release, his mother said he had been whipped and beaten “with things I won’t even mention.” She added that his captors pressured him to convert to Islam by promising more food and better conditions, a demand he resisted. According to her, guards also tried to manipulate his morale by claiming Israelis were unwilling to protest for the hostages, while exaggerating IDF casualties and damage inside Israel.
Israeli officials have repeatedly called for global condemnation of sexual violence by Hamas and allied groups. A 2024 United Nations report found “clear and convincing” evidence that Israelis were raped and sexually assaulted both on October 7 and during captivity. Israeli authorities say efforts continue to bring every hostage home—living or deceased—and to document crimes committed against them.