Rom Braslavski, accompanied by his father, took the stage on Sunday at a special event hosted by Italy’s ruling party, Fratelli d’Italia, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“For two years I was held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Oct. 7 is a terrible trauma. I was kidnapped by the terrorists from Gaza. I saw the horrors with my own eyes,” said Braslavski.
“I witnessed the massacre. I saw young, beautiful women thrown on the ground, riddled with bullets, their clothes torn, and rivers of blood were on the road while in the background the cries and screams of ‘Allahu Akbar’ were heard.
“I saw inside a large yellow garbage can full of bodies,” he continued. “Women, adults, small children, all covered in blood, and they were murdered only because they are Jews and Israelis.”
The 22-year-old from Jerusalem also met with Riccardo Pacifici, the former president of Rome’s Jewish community, as well as other prominent figures.
Braslavski said that during his captivity, he was tortured daily, leaving him with lasting physical and mental scars. He described the experience as inhumane and unfit even for animals.
“Until two months ago, I was inside Gaza, 131 feet (40 meters) underground. Torn clothes after I hadn’t showered for at least a month, I hadn’t eaten for entire days. And look how I am dressed today—the wheel has turned and it’s a divine miracle,” said Braslavski.
In a separate interview, he noted having rejected Hamas’s demand to convert to Islam, adding, “I was born a Jew and will die a Jew.”
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
