‘I almost died, then Trump was elected’ – Former hostage

The Nova festival survivor says his treatment worsened after revealing his military status.

By World Israel News Staff

Former hostage Rom Braslavski, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival by Islamic Jihad terrorists during the October 7 massacres, recounted the severe abuse he endured in captivity and credited the election of President Donald Trump as a turning point that ultimately helped save his life.

Braslavski, who had been working as a security guard at the festival, was also an off-duty soldier at the time of his abduction —a fact he initially tried to conceal from his captors. However, several months into his captivity, he admitted his military status.

His captors drastically reduced his already minimal food rations and subjected him to intensified physical and psychological abuse. Speaking in an interview with Fox News Digital published Wednesday, Braslavski described one captor who appeared to take particular pleasure in inflicting suffering upon him.

The terrorist “did everything he could to break me,” Braslavski said, recalling that the captor spat in his food and forced him to eat it.

“He humiliated me constantly,” Braslavski added, describing how he was randomly tied up and repeatedly beaten without cause.

After months of starvation and ongoing abuse, Braslavski said he nearly died while being transported to another hiding location in Gaza.

“I underwent severe torture, bondage and sexual abuse. Everything they could do to me, they did. My body is still covered in scars,” he said. “After four months of torture, I was clinically dead, rolling my eyes and passing out. They decided to stop the violence and brought doctors to treat me with injections and gave me food again.”

Braslavski recalled reaching a low point when he weighed just 49 kilograms (108 pounds) and was on the verge of death.

“My bones were protruding. I could no longer function normally. Everything in my body was shutting down. I was close to death, and that is when President Donald Trump came into the picture,” he said.

In October 2025, two years after his kidnapping, Braslavski was released as part of a hostage deal brokered by Trump.

“I have a dark past, but I must have a bright future,” Braslavski said. “I want to forget what happened, although I can’t.”

“God gave me back my life as a gift—not once, but twice,” he added. “I need to live, rehabilitate myself, and move forward.”