Captivity survivor Rom Braslavski appeared on Sunday at a conference of the “Brothers of Italy,” the ruling party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
During the conference, Braslavski was received with applause by the audience and was interviewed on stage by Jewish-Italian journalist Maurizio Molinari.
In his remarks, Braslavski recounted the horrors he witnessed on October 7, shared some of the difficulties he experienced in captivity, and also commented on the psychological effects that his time in captivity is having on him today.
"I am excited to be here in Italy. I wanted to speak for a moment about the hostage pin that I am wearing: when I approached an Italian citizen I met outside and asked him if he knew what it was, he said he had no idea. It is very sad that people around the world don’t know the meaning of this pin. It is an Israeli symbol, a symbol of unity. A symbol of equality, but also a symbol of blood, of murder, of pain, and of the terrible trauma called October 7," Rom began.
"On that October 7, when I was brutally kidnapped by terrorists from Gaza - after being taken captive, I saw with my own eyes the horrors. I saw one thing: massacre. I saw young and beautiful women thrown to the ground, riddled with bullets, their clothes torn, rivers of blood on the road, while cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ were heard everywhere. I saw inside a large garbage container a huge number of bodies - women, elderly, children. Covered in blood. Slaughtered only because they were Israelis and Jews."
He continued, "During my captivity, the Islamic Jihad that held me murdered me mentally every single day. They abused my soul and left me scarred physically and emotionally everywhere. With these scars, I now struggle on the psychiatric level. I met hostages who returned unable to speak, unable to communicate. They lost their sense of justice. This captivity is not fit for an animal, certainly not for a human being. That is why I ask you, dear people, to continue the good work you are doing for justice and peace - something I used to believe in before October 7."
Concluding his remarks, he said, "I went to work as a security guard at a party, and look what happened to me - my life was destroyed. The massacre of October 7 had no justification. Such a massacre is not human. I will conclude by thanking you and Prime Minister Meloni for the invitation to come here. Just two months ago I was inside Gaza, 40 meters underground. Torn clothes after not showering for at least a month, not eating for days - and look how I am dressed today. The wheel has turned, and it is a divine miracle."