Former hostages Rom Braslavski and Sasha Troufanov — who were held together for two days in the Gaza Strip in May 2024 before being separated — met for the first time since then.
In a Facebook post published late Tuesday night, Braslavski wrote: “I know I said I wouldn’t post again, and yet. A meeting with a dear brother and someone very important to my heart – Sasha, the last time we saw each other was inside the trunk of a car in Gaza that we shared together after we were cruelly separated from each other after two days together in Rafah.”
He added: “Sasha, you were a big brother to me inside captivity and an important anchor, and you’re always in my heart! After three hours of an amazing meeting – my brother I love you ❤️”
He signed the post with the word “the Jihadniks” alongside a laughing emoji, referring to the fact that both had been held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad during their captivity.
Braslavski was released in the last hostage deal in October, while Troufanov was released earlier, in February. Less than a month after his own release, Troufanov told for the first time publicly that he had been held for a short time together with Braslavski in captivity. It was the first sign of life from Braslavski after 517 days in captivity in Gaza.
“I think a lot about my friends, especially one guy I got to meet for a short time in captivity named Rom Braslavski,” Troufanov said in a video.
“Rom, I hope my voice will be a light and a hope for you in the dark and grim place you’re in. I want you to know that I and your friends and your family and all of Israel are praying for your well‑being and doing everything for your release.”
He continued, in Arabic: “I hope this message reaches you. Stay strong and don’t give up. We are with you and praying for you. The redemption of captives is a supreme value in Jewish religion, please don’t leave them behind. Do everything to bring them home as soon as possible.”
After footage of Braslavski in captivity was released in April, Troufanov said: “The video of him that was released was for me the straw that broke the camel’s back. Seeing him the way he looks now caused me great sorrow. The last time I saw him was in May of 2024, and now, almost a year later, he looks in much worse condition. Aside from the skin disease he developed and the way his body had shrunk, what struck me most in the video was when I saw his face and especially his eyes. These are not the same eyes of the guy I saw a year ago. His eyes showed the sorrow, the pain and the difficulty he passed through all that time and continues to go through until today.”
Rom Breslavski returns from captivity
(Video: Aviram Hasson, GPO)
Sasha Troufanov is reunited with his grandmother at Sheba hospital
(Video: Omer Meron, GPO)
In July, Palestinian Islamic Jihad released another video of Braslavski which showed him in significantly worse condition than in the previous clip. Troufanov responded then: “We were exposed to extremely difficult pictures of Rom’s current state. I could not believe that’s what I saw, that that’s the same person I saw more than a year ago and what has happened to him in that time.”
He added: “The faith and strength I saw in his eyes then has been replaced by sadness, depression and helplessness. The previous video was hard for me to watch, but the pictures today I cannot process.”