French Israeli Woman Recounts Ordeal as Hostage in Gaza Strip

Mia Schem, a 21-year-old Israeli-French dual citizen, recounted in an interview televised on Friday night her harrowing experience of being held captive by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Schem, who attended the Nova music festival at Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, was abducted during a raid by Hamas on October 7. More than 360 people were murdered during the attack on the festival, and 40 were taken hostage. She was released on November 30 during a weeklong cease-fire.

In the interview, broadcast on Israel’s Channel 13, Schem revealed that she was groped by her captor after escaping from her friend’s burning car and being shot in the arm. She described living in constant fear, being watched around the clock while held in a house with a family. Schem expressed discomfort over the father’s constant staring and the wife’s hostility, which sometimes led to her being denied food.

Israeli authorities have charged that rampant and often brutal sexual violence was a part of the Hamas incursion into southern Israel, criticizing the international community for downplaying the victims’ suffering.

Schem became internationally known when Hamas released a video showing her injured and bandaged in captivity. During her captivity, she barely slept, didn’t shower, and received minimal care. In her final days as a hostage, Schem was kept in a tunnel with other hostages, surviving on minimal sustenance. She expressed guilt over leaving other hostages behind and shared her struggle to come to terms with her traumatic experience since her return.