Freed hostage Rom Braslavski details abuse, starvation during 738 days in Gaza captivity

EXCLUSIVE: Former hostage Rom Braslavski said he endured beingness and affectional maltreatment while held supra crushed by Palestinian terrorists successful Gaza, astatine times surviving connected conscionable half a pita breadstuff and a morsel of cheese, and that he was injected pinch an chartless constituent aft collapsing from exhaustion during a transportation successful nan Strip, he told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interview.

Braslavski, 19, was abducted from nan Supernova festival during nan Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, wherever he had been moving arsenic a information defender while completing his mandatory subject work — a truth he concealed for months. During nan first 4 months of his captivity, he posed arsenic a 16-year-old who sold shawarma astatine nan festival.

A violent he described arsenic a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cyber master later arrived pinch a laptop and headphones and began questioning him. Fearing his screen had been blown, Braslavski past revealed his identity.

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This screengrab from a video released connected July 31 by Al-Quds Brigades, nan equipped helping of Palestinian violent group Islamic Jihad shows Rom Braslavski released by nan Hostages and Missing Families Forum ( Hostages and Missing Families Forum/AFP via Getty Images)

"They instantly reduced my nutrient by three-quarters. I was connected half a pita, a spot of cheese, a rotten herb and a mini vessel of water, erstwhile earlier I received 2 aliases 3 pitas and a liter of water," he told Fox News Digital.

For nan adjacent 3 months, Braslavski said he was held successful isolation without daylight, describing nan acquisition arsenic truthful acheronian and lonely that he began hitting his caput against nan wall.

At that point, he was forced to locomotion to a sprawling analyzable of astir 20,000 tents adjacent Nasser Hospital. Along nan way, he collapsed from hunger and exhaustion, was injected pinch an chartless constituent and forced to proceed moving.

"I was encircled by members of Islamic Jihad. Nobody told maine wherever we were going. I cried, reasoning they were either going to termination maine aliases return maine to a passageway to torture maine much aggressively," Braslavski told Fox News Digital.

Rom Braslavski and Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion astatine the Jerusalem Winner Marathon. (Photo credit: Jerusalem Marathon/Arnon Bossani)

"I walked without energy, breathing aerial arsenic if those were my past breaths, reasoning it would beryllium nan past clip I would spot nan ray of day. I kept going," he added.

At nan complex, Braslavski said tents were tightly packed pinch nary privacy, while vehicles destroyed by missiles had been converted into makeshift shelters. The campy included donkeys and camels, and group relieved themselves successful nan open. He described utmost power that made it difficult to breathe.

Braslavski remained successful 1 specified shelter for 4 months. While nan violent successful complaint instructed others not to maltreatment him, 1 of nan 4 guards — a young man whose sanction he could not stock — ignored those orders.

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"He did everything he could to break me. Once, he brought maine food, spat successful it, and forced maine to eat it. He humiliated maine constantly. I had a mini opening successful nan shelter to respire air, and he would travel by and adjacent it. When I told him I couldn’t breathe, he would slap maine and laughter pinch nan others. He showed maine videos of unit against our soldiers. He would hindrance my hands and feet for nary reason," Braslavski said.

Although he was not expected to beryllium physically harmed without cause, Braslavski said nan defender routinely insulted him, threatened his family, and forced him into degrading acts until it became unbearable.

Rom Braslavski was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists astatine nan Nova euphony show connected Oct. 7, 2023.  (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Braslavski told Fox News Digital that nan maltreatment near him overwhelmed by hatred, prompting him to onslaught nan defender pinch each his spot and usage immoderate he could find astir him to inflict harm, yet succeeding.

"He started to tally to get his Kalashnikov, and I realized I could either proceed aliases return a slug to nan head. I kept hitting him pinch each my strength. He became weak. I was besides weak, but my assemblage and mind disconnected from everything, and I continued," Braslavski recounted.

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Reef Peretz, Chairman of nan Nova Foundation, looks astatine nan names and faces of group killed during nan Nova show astatine "The Nova Music Festival Exhibition: October 7th 06:29 AM, The Moment Music Stood Still" connected April 18, 2024 successful New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images for The Nova Music Festival Exhibition)

After 3 to 4 minutes, different violent intervened and nan defender Braslavski had attacked was taken to hospital.

"The time that followed was nan 2nd darkest of my life aft Oct. 7. It is marked successful my memory, my psyche and my body. The main violent decided to respond severely to what I did, and from location I entered a loop of changeless abuse," he said.

Braslavski said he was thereafter allowed to slumber nary much than an hr and a half per day, successful short intervals.

"They would deed maine pinch immoderate they had connected hand. I underwent severe torture, bondage and sexual abuse. Everything they could do to me, they did. My assemblage is still covered successful scars. After 4 months of torture, I was clinically dead—rolling my eyes and passing out. They decided to extremity nan unit and brought doctors to dainty maine pinch injections and gave maine nutrient again," he added.

Rom Braslavski and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni . (office of nan Prime Minister of Italy  )

During Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began successful May 2025 pinch nan stated extremity of defeating Hamas and securing nan return of hostages done subject pressure, Braslavski said nan violent overseeing his guards was injured and mislaid a family member, triggering different rhythm of torture and starvation.

"I weighed 49 kilos, and nan elder terrorist, who weighed 90 kilos, would jump connected my cervix and effort to break it. I was connected nan verge of decease again. That is erstwhile nan propaganda video showing maine was released, and it is imaginable to spot marks connected my assemblage from nan abuse. My bones were protruding. I could nary longer spell to nan bath normally. Everything successful my assemblage stopped functioning. I was adjacent to death, and that is erstwhile President Donald Trump came into nan picture," he told Fox News Digital.

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With each measurement guardant successful negotiations toward a deal, Braslavski said his information gradually improved, until he was released successful October 2025 aft 738 days successful captivity.

What keeps him going arsenic a free man, he said, is his faith.

"I person a acheronian past, but I must person a agleam future. I want to hide what happened, though I can’t. God gave maine backmost my life arsenic a gift—not once, but twice. I request to do astatine slightest nan minimum, which is to live, rehabilitate myself and put this each down me," he said.