A recently released Israeli hostage has shared harrowing details of his two-year imprisonment in Gaza, alleging that he was sexually assaulted by his captors.
In an emotional interview aired Thursday on Israel’s Channel 13 program Hazinor, Rom Braslavski, 21, recounted being stripped naked, tied up, and repeatedly humiliated by members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group.
“It was an act of sexual violence meant to destroy my dignity,” Braslavski said. “Their goal was to humiliate me-to break me completely.”
Braslavski, who worked as a security guard at the Nova music festival, was kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, which left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage.
He was freed last month. He was one of the final 20 surviving hostages released under a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Torture and Abuse in Captivity
Braslavski said his situation worsened dramatically in March 2025 after he refused demands to convert from Judaism to Islam. For three weeks, he was blindfolded, deprived of food and water, and subjected to constant beatings.
He recalled being tied, whipped with metal cables, and punched repeatedly, often several times a day. “Every night I wondered if I’d live to see the next sunrise,” he said.
After a PIJ propaganda video in August 2025 showed him in distress, claiming he was starving and near death, Braslavski said his abuse escalated to sexual assault.
“They removed all my clothes. I was bound, weak, and starving. I prayed to God to save me,” he recounted tearfully.
Braslavski was visibly shaken during the interview. He said speaking out was important. It was necessary to expose the full extent of the violence he endured.
Condemnation and Denials
Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised Braslavski for his “extraordinary courage,” saying his testimony highlighted the “unimaginable brutality” of the militants.
“The world must recognise the magnitude of these crimes-torture, sexual violence, and psychological terror,” Herzog wrote on X.
A PIJ spokesperson dismissed Braslavski’s claims as “incorrect,” offering no further explanation.
Broader Allegations of Sexual Violence
International investigators have documented similar patterns of abuse.
In March 2024, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict reported “credible evidence” of rape committed against hostages in Gaza. They also documented sexual torture during the October 7 attacks.
A later UN inquiry in 2025 accused Israeli forces of using sexual humiliation and gender-based violence against Palestinians, including forced stripping and physical assault-allegations Israel rejected as “false and politically motivated.”
Braslavski’s account marks the first public statement by a male hostage. It describes sexual abuse while in captivity. This adds a new dimension to the ongoing trauma of survivors on both sides of the conflict.
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