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Rom Braslavski | |
|---|---|
| Born | (2003-12-04)4 December 2003 |
| Known for | Abduction to Gaza |
Rom Braslavski (born 4 December 2003) is anIsraeli hostage who was abducted to theGaza Strip by thePalestinian Islamic Jihad during theNova music festival massacre on 7 October 2023 as part of the2023 Israel–Hamas war and remained in captivity until his release on 13 October 2025 as part of theGaza peace plan.
Braslavski is a resident ofPisgat Ze'ev, anIsraeli settlement inEast Jerusalem. He worked as a security guard at the festival, where he rescued attendees and assisted the wounded before being taken captive.
Rom Braslavski is German-Israeli[1] and the middle child of Tami and Ofir Braslavski, and has two brothers, Amit and Ziv. His parents are divorced, and Braslavski and his elder brother Amit reportedly picked up work starting at the age of 14-years-old to help cover expenses.[2]
On the morning of 7 October 2023, Braslavski was on duty as a security guard at the Nova music festival nearRe’im. The massacre began around 6:30 am, and Braslavski was abducted at approximately 3:00 pm. According to survivor who had been with Braslavski when the attack began, they had gathered together to throw stones and attempt to fight off the attackers. The attempt had worked for a while causing attackers to back off, before a grenade went off and Braslavski disappeared from his line of sight.[1] Other survivor testimonies stated that he assisted in the evacuation of the wounded and collected the bodies of victims to prevent their abduction to Gaza. Witnesses described his composure and bravery under fire.[3][2]
At around 10:00 am, during the attack, Braslavski managed to contact his mother by phone, assuring her that theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) had taken control of the situation, that he was in a safe place, and that he expected to be evacuated within an hour.[citation needed] The next day his older brother Amit went to the festival site and searched for any signs of his brother.[2]
The first sign of life from Braslavski reached his family throughSasha Trufanov, another hostage abducted from his home inNir Oz on 7 October. Trufanov was released in February 2025 as part of a Hamas–Israel prisoner exchange deal after 498 days in captivity. In early March 2025, he met with Braslavski's family and told them that they had been held together for part of their imprisonment, saying that Braslavski had regained strength and morale during that period.[citation needed]
In April 2025, 558 days after his abduction, thePalestinian Islamic Jihad released a first video showing Braslavski alive in captivity.[4] Three months later, in mid-July 2025, the organization claimed that it had lost contact with the cell that had abducted him and that his whereabouts were unknown.[5] His family later stated: "No one knows where Rom is – neither the IDF nor Islamic Jihad. The only thing we knew was that he was being held alone."[citation needed]
On 31 July 2025, the Islamic Jihad published another video showing Braslavski in visibly deteriorated health, appearing extremely weak and emaciated, reporting severe hunger and thirst, and documenting his experiences about going days without food or surviving on lentils or a few falafel balls per day.[6] Medical experts, including ProfessorYuval Heled, estimated that Braslavski had lost 33–50% of his body weight and warned of immediate life-threatening conditions due to severemalnutrition,dehydration, and damage to vital organs.[6] Braslavski stated that he spent most of his days laying on a mattress and the guards became more brutal in treatment as thehumanitarian situation in Gaza became worse.[1]
After his release his mother Tami, told reporters that Braslavski was offered extra food to attempt to persuade him to convert to Islam, she also stated that he was beaten with a whip and other objects between April and July.[7] On 5 November, 2025 after his release Braslavski described the treatment as a captive to CNN, reporting he had experienced torture andsexual abuse as well as theextortion andpsychological abuse of his family. In the interview he claimed he was stripped of all of his clothing and tied up naked as an act ofsexual violence to crush his dignity.[8]
In April 2024 ahead of thePassover festival families of hostages held a weekly rally atHostages Square where Braslavski's brother Ziv spoke along with other hostages younger siblings to call for their release.[9] In July 2024, Braslavski's brother and cousin spoke to London supports about Braslavski, his current situation and captivity, while asking for them to remember his name and pray for him.[2]
The July 2025 footage drew international attention and condemnation.[10] Following its release, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu called Braslavski's family, expressing deep shock and pledging that the state would do everything possible to bring him home.[11] In August 2025, US cousins of Braslavski began to petition President Donald Trump for Braslavski to be givenUS citizenship after the July 2025 video was published, with the family hoping that he could then be treated like other hostageEdan Alexander who was released in May 2025.[12]
While speaking at theKnesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee with other hostage family members in September 2025, Braslavski's father grew irate and yelled at the members stating instead of having a toast onRosh Hashanah, you will be drinking the blood of the hostages.....You will drink their blood because they are dead." He followed up asking them if they care that his son was still held hostage and possibly dying.[13] Braslavski's father continued echoing concerns of hostages being abandoned by the government at a rally at Hostages Square with the father of fellow hostage Nimrod Cohen, both blaming the government for not acting to have the hostages released but choosing to expand the war.[14]
On 13 October 2025, after 737 days in captivity, Braslavski was released from the Gaza Strip as part of theGaza peace plan mediated by the United States.[15] His release was announced by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and confirmed by theInternational Committee of the Red Cross. Braslavski was immediately transferred to Israel for medical evaluation and rehabilitation. His family described his condition as "severely weakened but conscious," and images from his return sparked nationwide relief and celebrations.[16]
In early November 2025, Braslavski spoke to a crowd gathered at Hostages Square thanking them for their support while he was held captive. He praised their efforts, highlighted Israeli hostages held prior to the war such asAvera Mengistu andHadar Goldin and their families and promised to keep fighting to have all hostages released.[17]
About a month after his release Braslavski lashed out on social media stating that he experiences frequent panic attacks as a result of his captivity and feels ignored by Israeli government officials, such as Prime Minister Netanyahu and National Security MinisterItamar Ben Gvir. In the post he alleged that the government was dodging his outreach and receivedNIS 60,000 ($18,600USD) compensation which he felt was "simply an embarrassment" as the national salary is NIS 14,800 ($4,595 USD) per month. Braslavski also praised fundraising done for captives and other grassroot operations in his post.[18][19]
