The Los Angeles family of an Israeli hostage is demanding that the International Red Cross check on the condition of the hostages.
The family of Rom Bravlaski spoke to the media at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Rom Bravlaski was working as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival when Hamas attacked. He saved the lives of others before he was taken captive.
In July, the group Islamic Jihad released a video of Rom. His aunt, Anat Braslavski Benmenahem, called it “a video of pure suffering.”
“The life in his eyes was gone,” she said. “We could see the bones through his body. He was starving and tortured to see someone you love in that condition. It is a pain that has no words.”
His grandmother, Yael Ninikowski, pleaded for his grandson’s return.
“My mental health has been deteriorating more and more, and my only remaining wish in life is to see my grandson again,” she said.
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“That is why we have written a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross,” Braslavski continued. “We have pleaded with them to do their job, to find Rome, to check on his health, to give us proof that he's alive. We ask them again publicly, please uphold your duty. Find Rom.”
Jim Berk, the CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the Red Cross has a responsibility to bring “relief and hope to victims of conflict.”
“To Rom and the other hostages held in Gaza, it has abandoned its stated principles, retreating to silence and inaction,” he said.
Hamas says they do not know where Rom is.
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