Israeli Hostage says he was Sexually Assaulted in Captivity

Palestinian Jihadist group tortured and sexually assaulted Israeli hostage Mr. Braslavski during more than two years of captivity in Gaza, according to his account and multiple reports.

“A woman who was released in September through efforts by the Trump administration and Israeli officials is currently in Israel undergoing rehabilitation”

Algemeiner

BBC describes the abuse as severe, including a horrific sexual assault, and notes that a group official denied the assault without providing details.

Algemeiner

Mail Online reports he was a 21-year-old security guard held by the group for 738 days, suffering beatings, starvation, sexual assault, forced humiliations, and pressure to convert to Islam.

JFeed likewise reports he was held by the same group and subjected to severe physical and sexual abuse.

His release came amid a ceasefire deal, while Israel’s military assault in Gaza has killed over 68,000–nearly 69,000 people, according to NDTV and the Gaza Health Ministry cited by Daily Mail and Mail Online.

Accounts detail targeted torture of the individual.

The Star reports he was tied up and left naked, exhausted, and starving, and confirmed further abuse he struggled to describe.

BBC

Mail Online describes repeated beatings, starvation, sexual assault, forced humiliations, and pressure to convert and renounce Israeli leaders, all of which he resisted.

BBC reports a horrific sexual assault and highlights Israel’s president praising his courage while noting at least four female hostages have also reported sexual abuse.

New York Post adds that he said the torture was worse than Nazi-era methods.

PIJ released videos showing his deteriorating condition.

The aftermath shows deep trauma and urgent needs.

“A former Israeli hostage who was released last month has told Israeli TV that he was sexually assaulted during his two years in captivity in Gaza”

BBC

JFeed reports Israel’s Health Ministry told the Red Cross that 12 recently freed hostages are suffering severe physical and psychological trauma, including ongoing sexual harassment, and urged immediate international medical aid.

BBC notes Israel’s president publicly praised Braslavski’s courage in testifying about sexual crimes by Gaza militants.

Daily Mail and Mail Online describe a public embrace and major crowdfunding for rehabilitation, with the IDF welcoming him wrapped in the Israeli flag and nearly four million shekels raised.

These reports detail social support as he recovers from torture and sexual assault.

His captivity and release sit within a wider war in which Israel’s military has killed tens of thousands in Gaza.

NDTV reports that after militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, Israel carried out a two-year military assault that caused over 68,000 deaths.

Daily Mail

A ceasefire deal freed Braslavski on October 13 alongside about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Mail Online specifies a US-brokered ceasefire and that the group holding him captive did so for 738 days.

The New York Post says Hamas abducted him at the Nova festival, highlighting disagreement over who initially seized him.

Daily Mail and Mail Online both report nearly 69,000 Palestinians killed, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry.

International scrutiny now targets crimes committed by armed groups and Israeli forces.

“Survivors of captivity following the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad have recounted severe abuse and lasting psychological trauma, with some likening their experiences to atrocities worse than those committed by the Nazis”

Daily Mail

The BBC reports that the UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict found credible evidence of rape and sexualized torture against hostages on 7 October.

Daily Mail

The group responsible dismissed these allegations as baseless.

A separate UN inquiry in March 2025 accused Israel of increasing gender-based violence against Palestinians, which Israel denied.

The BBC also reports that Israel’s former top military lawyer resigned after admitting she leaked a video showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee who suffered severe injuries.

Five soldiers were charged in connection with the abuse.

NDTV and Mail outlets quantify the scale of killings in Gaza, highlighting the intensity of Israel’s assault as the backdrop for the hostages’ ordeal and the UN’s parallel focus on Palestinian victims of Israeli abuse.