Former hostage survivor Rom Braslavsky, who returned to Israel after two years in Hamas captivity, launched a blistering attack on Israel’s political leadership on Monday during a press conference at the Knesset organized by the “October Council," a group campaigning for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre.
Addressing lawmakers from across the political spectrum, Braslavsky called on all members of the Knesset to resign. “I call on all Members of Knesset - all of you - simply resign," he said. “Take responsibility and get out of our lives. The blood of the victims of October 7 is on all of you. And before you leave, establish the state inquiry committee that will investigate exactly what happened here so it never happens again. Shame on you. The people of Israel stopped truly living because you destroyed them."
Braslavsky described the emotional difficulty of entering the Knesset after surviving captivity. “Two months ago I visited the Supernova festival site to close a circle, and today I found the strength to come to the Knesset," he said. “At the festival, there were Nukhba terrorists who carried out the massacre against the people of Israel. Here in the Knesset sit those responsible for it - right beside me."
Alongside his demand for a state inquiry commission, Braslavsky also criticized the treatment he says he received from authorities after returning home, accusing officials of abandoning survivors to bureaucracy. “I want to ask every MK and government minister one simple question," he said. “Why, after two years in captivity, did none of you come to welcome me home, apologize for what happened, and say: ‘We’re sorry it took two years to bring you back - here’s our help, whatever you need’? Why did none of you do that? Why do I need to fight through committees over whether I’m recognized as 50 percent or 100 percent disabled?"
Eyal Eshel, whose daughter Roni Eshel was killed while serving as a lookout soldier on October 7, also sharply criticized the government. “You will not hear coalition members engage in soul-searching," he said. “Instead, they blame us. One minister says we are ‘playing the victims,’ another calls this period ‘a miracle,’ and the finance minister described October 7 as merely a ‘tactical failure.’ Did you hear that, Roni? You can rest in peace - it was only a tactical failure."
Eshel urged Israelis to remember the events of October 7 when they next go to the polls. “We are a generation of bereaved parents that will never forget," he said. “When you stand at the ballot box, think about October 7. Think about the murdered, the raped, the fighters, the reservists, the paramedics - everyone who was abandoned. This country has no future without accountability."
Michel Illouz, father of hostage victim Gai, who was kidnapped and later murdered in captivity, accused government officials of evading responsibility while deepening divisions in Israeli society. “How dare they dance on the blood at their disgraceful political celebrations?" he said. “A sane government would apologize and resign. A government with even minimal integrity would admit failure. Instead, this government fled responsibility, fled the truth, and fled the families."
He condemned politicians who described the aftermath of October 7 in terms of miracles. “Don’t talk to me about miracles," he said. “Where was the miracle when children hid for hours in safe rooms begging for help? When families were burned alive in their homes? When festival-goers pleaded for rescue that never came? I live with hell every single day."
He concluded by accusing the government of continuing to traumatize bereaved families. “I am still being held hostage by this government," he said. “Every day they remain in power is another humiliation for us. The next elections will be a moral test for Israel - truth or lies, responsibility or escape. We will continue pursuing the truth until our final day."