A former hostage has come forward to share the harrowing details of the sexual violence he experienced during his two-year captivity in Gaza. Rom Braslavski, 21, recounted his ordeal in an interview featured on the Israeli television program Hazinor. "They stripped me of all my clothes — underwear, everything. They tied me up from my… while I was completely naked. I was torn apart, dying, with no food," Braslavski said. Braslavski was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, while working as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival. On that same day, Hamas launched an attack in Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, marking the deadliest day for the Jewish community since the Holocaust. This attack ignited a conflict in the region that continued until a ceasefire was reached last month. Braslavski was among 20 hostages released as part of a deal after being held for 738 days. The group responsible for his abduction, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is known to be an ally of Hamas and is classified by the Canadian government as one of the most violent Palestinian terrorist organizations. Their stated goal includes the destruction of Israel. In a video released by PIJ in April, Braslavski appeared ill and unrecognizable, according to his family. During the interview, Braslavski described the torture he endured, stating that the sexual violence was intended to humiliate him. "The goal was to crush my dignity," he said. "And that’s exactly what he did." He revealed that he faced multiple assaults and found it challenging to discuss the details. "It’s hard. It was the most horrific thing," he added. Braslavski compared his experience to atrocities committed during the Holocaust, saying, "It’s something even the Nazis didn’t do. During Hitler’s time, they wouldn’t have done things like this. You just pray for it to stop. And while I was there — 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.’ I came back from meeting the devil." After his return, his mother, Tami Braslavski, revealed that he had been whipped and beaten, among other forms of abuse she chose not to disclose. She explained that his captors employed psychological torture, telling him that his family was "broken" and lacked the strength to join protests for his release. They also pressured him to convert to Islam, promising better treatment and more food if he complied. They claimed he had "nowhere to go back to," asserting that Israel had fallen and that nearly 3,000 soldiers had died. Despite the trauma, Tami shared a moment of hope, recalling that her son told her, "Mom, I always knew it would end." This account sheds light on the severe conditions faced by hostages in conflict zones and the psychological and physical toll of such experiences.