Hamas broadcasts video of 21-year-old Franco-Israeli hostage, Macron denounces “ignominy”

This is the first sign of life of one of the hostages in the hands of Hamas since the start of the Palestinian Islamist movement’s offensive against Israel. Hamas broadcast Monday October 16 on its official Telegram account the video of“one of the prisoners in Gaza” in which a young woman speaking Hebrew appears. In these images, which most media refuse to relay, we see a young woman awake and lying down, receiving treatment on her arm. The caption says she was kidnapped “on the first day” of the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7. The young woman says she is being held in Gaza, claiming to be treated well. “ Please get me out of here as quickly as possible.”she concludes in her message.

“They’re shooting at us. Please come save us!»

According to several media, it is a young Franco-Israeli woman, Mia Schem, aged 21. A family representative, who was part of a group of French families who last week called on President Emmanuel Macron to help free their missing loved ones, confirmed her identity to the Reuters news agency.

Mia participated in the Tribe of Nova trance festival like some 3,500 people during the Hamas attack. Mia’s mother told France 24 that she had tried to contact her for hours, in vain. The young woman reportedly sent a final message to a friend she was with, saying: “They are shooting at us. Please come and save us!”Still according to France 24, Mia and her friends tried to escape by car, before being caught by the terrorists. “When she sent her last message, she was hurt”his mother added.

“My princess, my baby, is alive”her mother said on Monday on the Israeli channel Chanel12. “I didn’t know anything and I hoped she was alive.” “I could see that she had something like surgery, that she is in pain, that she is scared, but thank God she is stable”she added, referring to the injury to her daughter’s arm and the treatment shown in the video released by Hamas.

“Heinous staging”

Emmanuel Macron denounced Tuesday morning “the ignominy represented by the taking of innocent people hostage and their odious staging“. The French presidentcalls for his immediate and unconditional release. France is fully mobilized and working with its partners to free the French hostages held by Hamas», added the French presidency.

Israeli officials on Monday estimated the number of hostages held in the Gaza Strip during the October 7 attack at 199. The armed wing of Hamas claims that they are “between 200 and 250”.