French-Israeli woman Mia Schem, featured in infamous Hamas hostage video, freed after 54 days (WATCH)
Nine days into Mia Schem's captivity, Hamas released a video in which she reported being cared for and undergoing a three-hour arm operation at a hospital. The video concluded with Mia's plea to be returned to Israel.
FollowMia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman who gained popularity after her hostage video was released by Hamas last month, was on Thursday freed after enduring 54 days in captivity following her abduction by Palestinian terrorist group. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Mia and another hostage, 40-year-old Amit Soussana, were released to the Red Cross and subsequently handed over to special forces and members of the Shin Bet security agency in northern Gaza, near the security barrier.
Mia Schem's ordeal began on October 7 when she was taken hostage during the Nova Music Festival, where Hamas terrorists launched a violent assault, resulting in the tragic death of over 260 partygoers and the abduction of several individuals to Gaza.
Keren Schem, Mia's mother, shared the heart-wrenching experience of attempting to reach her daughter as news of the Hamas attack unfolded. Desperate calls to Mia went unanswered, and it was only later that Keren received a text message from Mia at 7:17 a.m., stating, "They are shooting at us, come save us."
The night before her capture, Mia had informed her mother that she was attending a party down south but was unsure of the exact location. As the horrifying events transpired, Keren's attempts to contact her daughter intensified, but without success.
Details of Mia's whereabouts on that fateful morning remained unclear, with conflicting reports suggesting sightings of her walking toward a kibbutz or being in a car sprayed with bullets by a Hamas gunman.
Nine days into Mia's captivity, Hamas released a video in which she reported being cared for and undergoing a three-hour arm operation at a hospital. The video concluded with Mia's plea to be returned to Israel.
Mia Schem's release on November 30 comes as part of an extension to a temporary cease-fire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.
