After two years of war, the 20 remaining hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel have been freed.
Among the 20 hostages released from Gaza is Rom Bravlaski, who was working as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, 2023. He saved the lives of others before he was taken captive.
His cousin, Roye Ben Menahem, lives in Los Angeles. He told KNX News’ Emily Valdez he watched Rom reunite with his mom, dad, and brother on an Israeli news channel.
“I feel so good now,” Roye told Valdez. “It feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. My body feels lighter. I feel like I could breathe. It's just such a good day right now.”
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Roye credited his cousin’s strength for his survival.
“I mean, his strength is what got him into this position in the first plac,” he said. “I mean, he was so brave on October 7th, being able to save all those lives, and I'm not surprised that he had this much presence of mind, this much resilience to put a smile on his face and tell everybody that it's OK.”
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