CrossFireArabia
“Please bring food in before I die of hunger. I am on the verge of death and living in hell,” said the captive Israeli soldier Rom Barslavsky, appealing to his government in a message described by Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, as the last before losing contact with the group holding him captive in the Gaza Strip.
The Saraya broadcast a video of the 22-year-old Israeli captive from occupied Jerusalem, appearing in his place of captivity, weeping, tired, and exhausted, tossing and turning in his bed.
The video was titled “Gaza… Killing by Starvation,” referring to the worsening humanitarian conditions in the Strip. The captive confirmed that he has been held by Saraya al-Quds for more than a year and nine months, noting that his suffering began following what he called the “Gideon’s Wagons” operation.
Barslavsky described his deteriorating health, saying: “I’m in a bad condition. I have pain in my feet and hands. Every time I try to get up and go to the bathroom, I feel dizzy and fall. I can’t breathe and I can’t continue living.”
The prisoner revealed a significant decrease in the amount of food he is provided, confirming that “from morning until night, there is nothing,” and that he eats “only three falafel sandwiches throughout the day” or “barely a plate of rice.”
He added, crying, “I simply don’t eat or drink. There is no food here. Food is scarce, and we can barely get it.”
The prisoner spoke about watching children in Gaza on television, saying, “I saw children dying of hunger, skeletons. I’ve never seen scenes like this before.”
He appealed to his government, “This is immoral. This is torture. This is torture against innocent children. What is their fault that you should do this to them?”
The prisoner begged Israeli officials, saying: “Stop this hell we’re living in. Stop this suffering. Please stop this war. Don’t continue killing young children. Don’t continue your campaign of starving them. These actions do not suit your conscience.”
Barslawski made a final plea, saying: “If not for the children of Gaza, then do it for your prisoners in Gaza. Bring in food and drink. I beg you.”
The video showed images of the prisoner writing in his diary in Hebrew while crying, in addition to previous photos of himself and children dying of hunger in Gaza.
The Al-Quds Brigades concluded the video with a clear message: “What our people are suffering, your prisoners are suffering,” linking the suffering of the prisoners to the suffering of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.
