Germany gives citizenship to ‘Israeli’ soldier who called to personally hang Palestinians
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Rom Braslavski, an ‘Israeli’ soldier who was held captive in Gaza for roughly 738 days after being taken on October 7, announced on Instagram that Germany has formally granted him citizenship.
In a post on September 1, he wrote in Hebrew: “After two years of Hamas captivity, Germany decided to approve and grant me today, officially, German citizenship. (At least something good came out of the captivity..) I am a proud German from my father’s side… Proud to be a German Jew.”
Braslavski, who was on leave from military service and working as a security guard at the time of his capture, was among the last living captives released in mid-October 2025 as part of a ceasefire arrangement.
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Germany has quietly accelerated citizenship processes for a number of captives and relatives with documented German roots or ancestry claims stemming from pre-Holocaust family ties, viewing it as part of historical responsibility.
Braslavski cited family lineage connected to World War II partisans on his father’s side.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism because of Braslavski’s recent public statements expressing a desire to personally carry out executions of Palestinians.
In an August podcast interview with far-right ‘Israeli’ National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Braslavski said: “I have a personal request, and I am truly looking you in the eyes, minister. Let me be the one who hangs them. I don’t want a rope; I want a button on a gun. With my own hands, I will execute every terrorist in the State of Israel.”
Ben-Gvir replied that he would “turn the world upside down” to make it happen and called it one of his biggest dreams, noting that the newly enacted ‘Israeli’ law provides for execution by hanging.
That law, advanced by Ben-Gvir’s party and taking effect in 2026, mandates the death penalty—primarily via hanging—for Palestinians allegedly convicted in military courts of certain “terrorist” acts resulting in death, with limited exceptions.
Critics, including human rights groups and UN experts, have condemned it as discriminatory, noting it effectively targets Palestinians while not applying in the same way to ‘Israelis’.
Ben-Gvir has since publicized construction of gallows facilities with viewing areas for victims’ families.
Online reactions to Braslavski’s citizenship post, including from German and international users, highlighted perceived double standards.
Commenters questioned how Germany could naturalize someone openly advocating personal involvement in hangings of Palestinians while stripping citizenship from others for pro-Hamas social media posts or support for Palestinian resistance.
One comment noted Germany’s constitutional abolition of the death penalty and argued that those promoting it or who served in foreign armies should not receive citizenship.
Others called the move an example of selective application of “Western values” amid the broader Gaza conflict, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed.
The timing of the citizenship grant—shortly after his explicit calls for personal participation in executions—has fueled accusations that Germany is rewarding rhetoric of collective punishment and revenge rather than promoting accountability or de-escalation.
