Who is Mia Schem, the French-Israeli girl in the Hamas hostage video?

As the attack on Israel gets more intense, the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a video on Tuesday allegedly showing an injured hostage. They also claim to hold between 200 and 250 hostages, whom they refer to as their “guests.” A young woman is shown in the video that has gone viral on social media platforms, lying down and conscious while she receives medical attention for an injury to her upper right arm. She was kidnapped “one the first day” of the 7 October attack on Israeli land, according to the video. The girl in the hostage video The girl in the video has been identified as 21-year-old Israel-French national Mia Schem, who lives in Shoham. Hamas ambushed her and thousands of other attendees at the open-air Tribe of Nova festival in the desert. When the video was recorded is still unclear. In the video, the girl can be heard saying in Hebrew, “I am a prisoner in Gaza and they treated me and performed a surgery on me that took three hours. Everything is alright. All I want is to go home as soon as possible.” The number of hostages in Gaza is currently between 200 and 250, according to Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida, who withheld a specific figure due to “practical and security difficulties.”

He said that the foreigners taken prisoner during the raid are “our guests” and that he would protect and release them when circumstances “on the ground” permit. He added that of the 250, some 200 are being kept by Hamas, and the remaining 50 are being held by other “resistance factions and elsewhere.” In addition to Argentinians, Americans, and French nationals, at least two Mexicans — a lady and a man — may possibly be held captive by the organisation, according to family members. According to Sky News, last Monday, Dr Basem Nam, the spokesperson for Hamas, said in a pre-recorded press conference that the group’s members had only attacked bases and combatants in self-defense against Israel’s occupation and claimed that civilians had been caught up in the “chaos.” He added: “For the captives and prisoners held by the resistance, we confirm here, and make it clear, we are fully committed to treat them in accordance with our religious values and the rules of international humanitarian law. “But, at the same time we are really worried that, as the Israeli aggression is everywhere in Gaza, they might be victims to the Israeli army bombardment like our people.”  “Worst nightmare for every mother” Mia’s mother Keren Sharf Schem revealed, according to ABC News, that she cried out in delight that her daughter was still alive and collapsed to the ground when she first saw the footage on Monday. Next, she described how seeing her daughter’s bandaged right arm made her feel afraid, as she realised she had had an “operation alone, without anyone to hold her hand, with terrorists around her.” “I mean, this is the worst nightmare every mother can have,” Keren Schem said. She told reporters at a press conference in Tel Aviv, “I didn’t know if she’s dead or alive until yesterday, all I knew is she might be kidnapped."  “Yesterday I saw my baby on television. I saw she’s alive… I can see she was shot in the shoulder.” In the video, Schem stated that her daughter “looks like she is terrified” and added, “She looks like she is in big pain.”

“I’m begging the world to bring my baby back home,” she continued, holding up a picture of her daughter while fighting back tears. “She only went to a party, a festival party to have some fun, And now she’s in Gaza. This is a crime against humanity and we should all gather and stop this terror and bring everyone back home.” She also said that she has her reservations about the statement her daughter made in the video and that “I can see she’s saying what they tell her to say.” Speaking to Sky News, Mia’s mother relied on a message to her daughter, “My message to my daughter is I love her so much and I miss her so much. And all these days I’ve just thought how I (will be) hugging her when she’s coming home and that’s what’s kept me strong and focused.” She added, “Maybe that’s why she’s okay. I want to tell all the other parents, think positive.” We want Mia and all the other captives to be returned home, Mia’s brother said as he made an appearance at the news conference. French President Emmanuel Macron has also demanded the release of the dual French-Israeli national. Israeli units comb Gaza for hostages “Last week, Mia was abducted by Hamas. IDF officials have since informed Mia’s family and are in continuous contact with them,” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on X Monday, adding, “In the video published by Hamas, they try to portray themselves as humane. However, they are a horrific terrorist organisation responsible for the murder and abduction of babies, children, men, women and the elderly. At this time, we are deploying all intelligence and operational measures for the return of all hostages - including Mia.” In contrast to Hamas’ estimate of 200–250 hostages, the IDF said on Monday that at least 199 hostages had been captive in Gaza. Despite the fact that the anticipated Israeli ground incursion into Gaza has not yet started, an Israeli military official told ABC News that specialised Israeli forces are already in Gaza searching the region for the hostages. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesperson for the Israeli military told the outlet, “We have special forces, regular infantry, artillery, tanks, armored divisions and battalions that are operating in that area, in the peripheral areas, conducting raids.” The number of captives thought to be held by Hamas increased from 155 on Sunday to 199 on Monday, according to him, who added that the troops are also gathering the bodies of Israeli civilians killed in the conflict in order to reduce the number of persons still missing. One of the people in charge of resolving the hostage situation in Israel told the news channel that 25 ambassador-level and above former diplomats are contacting everyone they can in Europe and North Africa, including Pope Francis, to put pressure on Hamas to release the captives. The Hamas video of Schem, according to John Cohen, a former acting Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis and Counterterrorism Coordinator for the US Department of Homeland Security, may provide the intelligence officials’ long-sought breakthrough in their hunt for the captives. Military and intelligence authorities are meticulously examining the video in an effort to extract any clues regarding the whereabouts of Schem and the other hostages. “Right now, military, law enforcement and intelligence officials are trying to build an intelligence picture that provides critical or vital clues on the location of the hostages, their well-being and any information regarding those guarding them that can aid tactical operations when they occur,” said Cohen told ABC News. According to Cohen, a few things stood out to him after watching the Schem captive footage from Hamas. “One is any information that provides insight into the conditions of the hostages. Second, any information – the background, the lighting, furniture – that provides insights into the location of the hostages,” he said. In the backdrop of the video, there are explosion-like noises and horns honking, which could help detectives determine whether the captives are being held above ground or underground in a network of tunnels that Hamas has built beneath Gaza. Music festival turns nightmare One of the areas most severely impacted by the Hamas attack was the Nova Festival. After the group opened fire on thousands of young people at the festival in the desert close to the Gaza border, more than 260 bodies were found there, according to The Associated Press. Several footages of Hamas terrorists holding hostage some of the festival’s young attendees are shared on social media. One of them was Noa Argamani, 26, who could be heard pleading “Don’t kill me” in a horrifying video as she was being transported by a Hamas member on a motorbike. Since then, neither she nor her lover Avi Nathan have been seen. Her parents celebrated her birthday at their Be’er Sheva home last week on 12 October with two empty chairs and a cake. According to Yahoo News, speaking to Israeli television, her father Yaacov said, “All my life since she was born I have tried to protect and hug her, support and love her. I wish I could at this difficult moment at least encourage her or say something to her.” Minister for the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom Andrew Mitchell stated that the government is “extremely concerned” about the British hostages being held and that “we pray that they are alive.” Mitchell assured that the UK is doing “everything” necessary to rescue the up to ten hostages believed to have been taken. With inputs from agencies