“I Came Back from Meeting the Devil”: A Hostage Testimony

It’s been a few months since I preached in Hebrew. Today I taught on how to use the Lord’s prayer as an outline for daily devotion at our congregation in Tel Aviv, Tiferet Yeshua. I love to be with the congregation—I so much enjoyed encouraging them. And the love coming back from them was life-giving.

As much fun as I had ministering the word, today’s subject is not upbeat, but it is very important.

It is essential that we understand what the Israeli hostages endured during their two years of captivity. You can‘t “never forget” what you don’t know. Therefore, we need to hear their stories, as painful as they are. Today, we are focusing on Rom’s story that has been published all over the Israeli media this week. As you read, say a prayer for him.

His story reminds me of one recorded in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees, about seven brothers. The wicked Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to force them to eat non-kosher food. It wasn’t about food, but loyalty to the God of Israel. All seven brothers died, not willing to turn their backs on God, and finally the king had their mother killed. 

“I Came Back from Meeting the Devil”: A Hostage Testimony

When the massacre at the Nova music festival erupted on 7 October 2023, 21‑year‑old Rom Braslavski — working as a security guard — didn’t flee. Instead, he stayed to help. Witnesses say he assisted others to escape, collected bodies, even under fire. Around mid‑afternoon, he was abducted by militants from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and taken into Gaza. That day marked the beginning of a 738‑day ordeal of captivity.

The captivity

From the moment he arrived, Braslavski says the reason for what he endured was singular and immutable: his Jewish identity.

“They tortured me for one reason — because I’m Jewish. That’s why I got everything I got.”

In hospital, following his release, he reflected:

“The strength in the place I was in – the knowledge that everyone around me was not Jewish, and the fact that I was sitting there, the reason was because I am Jewish.”

His conditions were horrific. He says he was stripped completely naked.

“They stripped me of all my clothes, my underwear, everything. They tied me up … I was torn apart, starving, dying.”

He was kept in isolation for much of the time. The family said he was “alone” and above ground for most of his captivity, and only moved into tunnels shortly before his release. At times, he was held beside the bodies of other hostages.

Brutal physical abuse and psychological torment accompanied his deprivation. He reports regular beatings, extreme hunger, and repeated pleas to God for rescue.

“You just pray for it to stop. … Every day, every beating — I’d say to myself, ‘I survived another day in hell. Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up to another hell. And another. And another. It doesn’t end.’”

“It was sexual violence – and its main purpose was to humiliate me. The goal was to crush my dignity. And that’s exactly what [they] did.”

“It’s something even the Nazis didn’t do. During Hitler’s time, they wouldn’t have done things like this,” shared Rom.

The pleas for help

In April 2025, a video released by PIJ showed Braslavski in an alarming state: lying on a mattress, saying he could not stand, that he had run out of food and water. In July, the family was told the group had “lost contact” with the cell holding him. “No one knows where Rom is — neither the IDF nor PIJ,” the family stated.

“I am on the verge of death … I don’t have any more food or water … My October 7 has not ended, and it will never end.”

His father, Ofir Braslavski, described the anguish of seeing the video:

“You’re watching your son dying before your eyes … There’s nothing you can do.”

Release and after

Rom was released on October 13. 2025 in a hostage‑prisoner deal. Upon his return he weighed dangerously little, and was hospitalised at Sheba Medical Center for rehabilitation.

From his hospital bed, he spoke of identity, faith, and resilience:

“We need to return to being a united people … People need to understand and know that we are Jews. Look what happened to me, what they did to me, just because I am Jewish.”

His mother, Tami Braslavski, emphasised that in captivity the captors demanded he convert to Islam. She said he refused, that he was tempted with small gifts and food. Holding firm to his Jewish identity became his anchor.

Why this matters

Rom’s story stands out for many reasons:

• He is the first male Israeli hostage to publicly allege sexual assault during captivity.

  
  

• His captivity lasted over two years — a prolonged period in which the world largely had no confirmed sign of life from him.

  
  

• His account places focus squarely on his Jewish identity as the reason for the abuse, not political affiliation, ethnic identity as an Israeli, or military role—purely antisemitic.

  
  

• For readers reflecting on faith and resilience: his ordeal and his survival point to themes of identity, dignity, suffering, and the strength to endure unspeakable darkness with faith intact.