Freed Israeli hostage claims he was sexually assaulted in captivity
What's the story
Rom Braslavski, a recently released Israeli hostage, has alleged that he was sexually assaulted during his time in captivity by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza. The 21-year-old security guard was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 and is the first male hostage to publicly allege sexual assault while being held captive. In an interview with Channel 13's "Hazinor," Braslavski described being stripped naked and tied up during his captivity.
Statement
'They stripped me'
"They stripped me of all my clothes, my underwear, everything. They tied me up from the ..." Braslavski, said unable to complete his sentence. "When I was completely naked. I was wiped out, dying without food. And I prayed to God - save me, get me out of this already, and you just say to yourself like ... what the hell is going on?"
Assault details
Braslavski said his captors wanted to crush his dignity
He continued, "You just pray to God for it to stop. And while I was there - every day, every beating - I'd say to myself, 'I survived another day in hell.'" Braslavski described the experience as "unequivocally" sexual assault, saying its main purpose was to humiliate him. "It is sexual violence...its main purpose was to humiliate me. The goal was to crush my dignity, and that's exactly what he did," Braslavski said in the interview filmed last week.
Hostage release
Braslavski was 1 of the last hostages released
Braslavski was one of the last 20 living hostages freed last month under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. He was held by PIJ, a Gaza-based militant group allied with Hamas. Earlier this year, militants released footage of an emaciated Braslavski, with his father saying he didn't recognize him. His mother claimed he was pressured to convert to Islam for food during captivity.
Allegations persist
Other hostages have also alleged sexual violence
Other Israeli hostages have also alleged sexual violence or abuse during their time in captivity. Amit Soussana alleged she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by her Hamas guard. According to a Dinal Project project, she is one of more than a dozen former hostages who claimed to have experienced or witnessed sexual violence. The UN's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, published a report last year, alleging they found "clear and convincing" information that hostages were abused.