Islamic Jihad airs video of hostage Rom Braslavski; ‘They broke him,’ family says

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on Thursday published a video of hostage Rom Braslavski, whom they are holding captive in the Gaza Strip.

The terror group claimed that the six-minute video was recorded days before it lost contact with the captors holding Braslavski, and alleged that the hostage’s fate was unknown.

Israeli media do not air such video clips unless asked to by the hostages’ families. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum requested that media outlets only publish a still from the video approved by Braslavski’s family.

The still shows Braslavski, 21, looking pale and thin, lying on the ground in an unknown location in Gaza.

PIJ has made statements and claims in the past that have not always proven reliable. Israel has accused the group, like Hamas, of waging psychological warfare. PIJ released a video of Braslavski in April, likely scripted by his captors, in which he said he was experiencing “hell” and displayed signs of illness.

In a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Braslavski’s family said they were furious and demanded a joint meeting with security chiefs and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss his fate.

Rom Braslavski was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from the Nova desert rave. (Courtesy)

“People are speaking a lot about what is happening in Gaza, about the hunger, and I ask all those who are speaking about hunger: Did you see our Rom? He doesn’t receive food, and he doesn’t receive medicine. He is simply forgotten there,” the statement read.

“They managed to break Rom. Even the most resilient person has their breaking point,” the statement read.

“They broke my boy. I want him home now,” Braslavski’s mother, Tami, told the Ynet news site. “I know how many beatings he is taking. I know because Rom doesn’t cry. If he cries, it is because they are abusing him. Look at him. Thin, limp, crying. All his bones are out.”

“Don’t cry over the children in Gaza. Cry for Rom. Have compassion for the hostages,” she said.

Thursday’s video of Braslavski was the second released by PIJ, 664 days since the off-duty soldier, a resident of Jerusalem, was abducted from the Nova music festival, where he was working as a security guard. His family has shared testimonies from partygoers that Braslavski rescued them amid the onslaught.

Braslavski is one of the 49 hostages kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, massacre, still held captive in Gaza. At least 20 of the captives are thought to be alive. Hamas is also holding the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.