Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Former Hamas hostage Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov on Friday released a video expressing deep concern over the condition of Rom Braslavski, still held in captivity in Gaza. Trufanov, who was held alongside Braslavski for a period, said recent footage of the captive was a breaking point for him and called on Israelis and the international community to intensify efforts for the hostages' release.
“The video of him that was released—that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me,” Trufanov said. “Seeing him like that brought me immense sorrow.”
live
Rom Braslavski
Trufanov, who was freed after 498 days in captivity, said the last time he saw Braslavski was in May 2024. Now, nearly a year later, he said the change in Braslavski’s physical and emotional state is stark. “Beyond the skin condition he’s developed and his emaciated body, what struck me most were his eyes. They’re not the same. His eyes now reflect pain, sorrow, and the hardship he has endured—and continues to endure.”
Trufanov released the video during the week of Passover, a Jewish holiday symbolizing the journey from slavery to freedom. He said he struggled to celebrate his own freedom while so many hostages remain in Gaza.
“This week we celebrate the holiday that marks our liberation from slavery,” he said. “I should be celebrating my own release with my family—everyone except my late father, who was murdered. But with my brothers still in captivity, it’s impossible to celebrate freely. The questions—what are they going through now, how much are they suffering—don’t let you truly feel free.”
“All the hostages are our brothers,” Trufanov said. “And I believe every one of us felt that pain this holiday, to some degree.”
His message, he said, was not meant to invoke pity. “Everyone already knows how much the hostages are suffering. I’m appealing to something deeper—what are we celebrating, if not the pursuit of freedom? Helping our brothers out of captivity is the greatest mitzvah. It must be a national priority—even above the total defeat of the enemy. Not every Egyptian was killed during the Exodus.”
Trufanov also appeared to reference his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, “I, along with the hostages’ families and everyone involved, will continue doing everything possible to bring them home. Though their release is Israel’s responsibility, this has become a global struggle. If needed, we will go around the world and appeal to every leader to act.”
2 View gallery
Trufanov and his family meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Photo: Kremlin)
He concluded with a direct appeal: “To everyone who couldn’t sit comfortably at their Seder table this year—because a brother is still in captivity and freedom feels incomplete—I urge you: do what you can to help. Every effort matters. And when our brothers return, we’ll be able to tell them of the unity formed around their release and show them we did everything possible.”
Trufanov’s statement came two days after Palestinian Islamic Jihad released the first video footage of Braslavski, who has been in captivity for 558 days. Braslavski, a survivor of the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival, appears visibly distressed in the video and pleads for help.
“All day, I itch. All day, I’m in pain,” he says. “I don’t know what this illness is. Enough, enough. Please, Mr. Prime Minister, get me out of here. Trump—where are you? Where are your promises? Didn’t you say you’d free us all in a deal?”
Braslavski’s family authorized the release of a short excerpt of the footage. His mother, Tami, responded with anger and heartbreak. “It’s horrifying. A disgrace to the State of Israel,” she said. “I had to see this on Telegram like everyone else. Not Nitzan Alon, not Gal Hirsch, not Bibi—no one called.”
“My son is crying out from underground while people are barbecuing at the beach,” she said. “No one understands how precious life is. No one will understand until it’s their own child. I don’t even recognize my son. He looks ten years older.”
She criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly: “His son is in Miami drinking margaritas, and my son is underground. And he doesn’t even have time to call me? They knew this video was coming and didn’t even think to talk to me?”
Braslavski’s brother Amit also voiced frustration. “Not a single representative of the government has reached out to us. It’s an insult. We’re sick of being abandoned.”
Trufanov has previously spoken about his time with Braslavski in captivity, revealing earlier this month that they were held together in Gaza. “Stay strong and don’t give up,” he said in an earlier message. “I hope my voice brings you light and hope in the darkness. We are praying for you and doing everything we can to bring you home.”
Trufanov, speaking in both Hebrew and Arabic, underscored the religious imperative of securing the hostages' release. “Redeeming captives is a supreme value in Judaism. Please don’t leave them behind. Do everything you can to bring them home—urgently.”