Freed Hostage's Defiant Arabic Message to Hamas: "You Couldn't Break Us"

Former Hamas hostage Rom Braslavski, freed after 730 harrowing days in Gaza captivity as part of the October 2025 deal, has released a powerful video in fluent Arabic directly addressing his captors from Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, proclaiming their utter failure to break him or the Israeli people. The moving clip, shared widely online, captures Braslavski's unbreakable spirit as he stares into the camera and declares: "Hamas and Islamic Jihad, you thought you could break our spirits and destroy our souls, but we are here, alive, present, having fun, and happy." He continued with unwavering resolve: "Not one of you terrorists could break the spirit of the Israeli people who are alive and well, Am Israel Chai."

Braslavski, kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, massacre when Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 others, spent over two years enduring unimaginable conditions in Gaza's tunnels, alongside fellow survivors. His message culminates in joyful defiance: a clip of him dancing at a recent celebration to the biblical words "Do not fear Israel, do not be afraid, for are you not a young lion? And if a lion roars, who won’t be afraid?" interspersed with photos of him embracing other returned hostages. This act of triumph stands as a testament to resilience against the barbarism of terrorists who raped, burned, and executed civilians while holding innocents like Braslavski in starvation and darkness.

The video resonates deeply amid Israel's ongoing fight against Hamas, with 700 soldiers fallen defending the nation and 16 hostage bodies still withheld despite the ceasefire. Braslavski's choice to speak Arabic ensures his words reach the terrorists directly, stripping them of any illusion of victory. Released in the October deal that saw dozens return, his story joins those of survivors like Eli Sharabi, starved for 491 days, and families mourning the likes of Hadar Goldin, whose remains were returned after 11 years. Braslavski's dance and declaration embody the eternal truth: Jewish life endures, thrives, and celebrates even after the deepest horrors, while terrorists' hatred crumbles against unbreakable will. Am Israel Chai indeed.