Former Hamas hostage Rom Braslavski posted a scathing message on Facebook Sunday, harshly criticizing the state’s treatment of hostages after their release. In the emotional post, he described the severe anxiety attacks he has endured since returning from captivity, slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not reaching out and thanked the Israeli public for stepping in to support his recovery.
“I want to thank you for every hug, every kind word, every selfie request,” Braslavski wrote. “I salute you all — the people, the citizens, the soldiers and officers. I chose to write this because I am truly suffering. It may not be visible, but the pain I’m in is beyond description, far worse than just PTSD.”
Braslavski said he experiences around ten panic attacks each day. “They come with rapid heartbeats, sweating, stammering, shaking, even screaming and violence,” he wrote. “It’s hard for me. The day I got on the Red Cross vehicle, I allowed myself to break down, to cry. I told myself I didn’t have to hold it in anymore — the nightmare was over, and now it was time to start picking up the pieces.”
He went on to accuse state institutions of neglect: “The Defense Ministry, the government, the Hostages Task Force, the Hostage Headquarters, the police — every single government body has abandoned me. They ignore me or tell me it’s too late in the day. At Ramon Airport, I was held up for a long time even though I’m a disabled IDF veteran with a line-skipping exemption. My father was delayed over a suitcase. It led to a severe panic attack, and I was questioned multiple times by security from 5 p.m. until now. It broke me.”
“I feel abandoned from every direction, by every authority, treated with nothing but contempt since I returned,” he wrote. “Sixty thousand shekels — that’s the grant given to a Hamas captivity survivor after two years. Sixty thousand. It’s a disgrace. A release grant. Netanyahu and Ben Gvir still haven’t reached out. Nothing.”
Still, he expressed gratitude for the support he has received from ordinary Israelis: “The strength, love and unity of the people is what keeps me going, helping me fight these monsters! To all the keyboard critics who write under hostage donation campaigns, ‘Why donate?’ ‘They’re extorting us,’ ‘Their families are thieves’ or ‘The state already gives them enough’ — well, here’s the truth. The state doesn’t give enough. The Defense Ministry and the government are mocking us. Apart from a monthly 9,000-shekel stipend, we receive nothing meaningful. It’s only thanks to you that millions have been raised for all the hostages.”
He concluded: “You are my strength. You give me the energy and fuel to continue this journey back to life. I promise — nothing will break me. Nothing. I love you, people of Israel.”