The Islamic Jihad terror organization published footage of the Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, claiming that it was filmed before contact with his captors was lost.
Rom’s family has not approved the publication of the video, but has authorized the distribution of a photo only from the video.
“We are deeply shaken. People talk a lot about what is happening in Gaza, about hunger, and I want to ask everyone who spoke about hunger: Did you see our Rom? He is not receiving food, he is not receiving medicine. He has simply been forgotten there. Six minutes of video - that is all it took for Rom to break on camera. But Rom has been there for 664 days," his family stated.
According to the family, "They managed to break Rom. Even the strongest person has a breaking point. Rom is an example of all the hostages. They must all be brought home now.
"We are demanding an immediate meeting with security officials. We are demanding a meeting with the political and military leadership - from the head of Military Intelligence to the Minister of Defense to the Prime Minister. We don’t understand what they are doing all day in the Knesset committees - talking? debating? Rom has been there for almost two years, and no one has even called to update us."
They added: "We ask that Ambassador Witkoff see this video. And we make an urgent plea to President Trump: Bring our son home.”
Rom's mother, Tami, stated: "I demand to speak with the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and the IDF Chief of Staff, now. They don't even call me on the phone.
"They broke my child. I want him home now," she said. "I want a meeting with them now, now, a four-way meeting. All of them and I. I know that Rom doesn't cry. If he's crying, it's because they tortured him. Look how looks, skinny, a stick. Crying. All of his bones are showing. Don't cry for the children in Gaza. Cry for Rom. Have mercy on the hostages. My little boy is crying. What is this? What is this suffering?"
A week and a half ago, the terror organization claimed that contact with the terrorists holding Braslavski.
"We demand a meeting with one of the senior officials - the IDF Chief of Staff, the Minister of Defense, or the Prime Minister. They have not responded, answered, or acknowledged our messages, and they have not updated or involved us as a family. Gal Hirsch was the only one who responded and answered, but he does not have the answers or the information to give us. No one is getting back to us," the family said.
In a statement issued on their behalf, the family wrote: "We want to know where our son is. We want the responsible parties to sit with us and explain the situation to us, not just provide partial information and partial truths. No one knows where Rom is. Neither the IDF nor Islamic Jihad know anything. The only thing we know is that he was held alone."
Braslavski, 19, from Pisgat Ze'ev, worked as a security guard at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im on the day of the massacre. According to testimonies from the attack, he demonstrated extraordinary courage when he helped save dozens of festivalgoers.