Rom Braslavski, accompanied by his father, took the stage at a special event hosted by Italy's ruling party, Fratelli d'Italia, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The 22-year-old from Jerusalem also met with the former president of Rome's Jewish community, Riccardo Pacifici, and other prominent figures in Italy's Jewish community.
Braslavski addressed the audience Sunday evening and thanked the Italian prime minister before sharing what he endured in captivity. "I am 22 years old from Jerusalem, and for two years I was held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. October 7 is a terrible trauma. I was kidnapped by the terrorists from Gaza. I saw the horrors with my own eyes. 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."
He continued, "I saw inside a large yellow garbage can full of bodies. Women, adults, small children, all covered in blood, and they were murdered only because they are Jews and Israelis. During my time in captivity, they tortured me every day and left me with physical and mental scars everywhere. This captivity is not suitable for animals, certainly not for humans. Therefore, I ask you, dear people, to continue the good work for the sake of justice and peace. The October 7 massacre was without a justified reason, and was an inhuman massacre."
In closing, he said, "I will finish and thank you and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the invitation to come here. 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 is a divine miracle."
In an interview with journalist Maurizio Molinari, Braslavski described on the honor stage at the ruling party's "Atreju" conference Hamas members' demand that he convert to Islam and his response that surprised them: "I was born a Jew and will die a Jew."
