Mia Schem, a 24-year-old French-Israeli survivor, has shared the harrowing details of her 55-day captivity in Gaza following the October 7 attacks.. Her testimony highlights the deep physical and psychological scars left by her time in Hamas custody.
A 60-meter descent and the loss of five liters of blood
The physical brutality Schem endured is staggering. According to the report, she was held in a cramped cage approximately 60 meters underground in a Gaza tunnel. During her ordeal, she was shot at point-blank range, an injury that nearly severed her arm and resulted in the loss of roughly five liters of blood. The report further details that Schem was forced to undergo medical procedures in Gaza under a "surgeon" who provided no anesthetic.
Even after her release on November 30, 2023, the physical reality of her captivity remains a daily struggle. Schem has been working to renovate her home in central Israel, a task she has largely managed using only one fully functional arm. This ongoing project serves as a physical testament to her resilience in the face of permanent injury.
The shadow of Elia Toledano and the Nova music festival
The trauma of the October 7 conflict is inextricably linked to the loss of personal connections and the suddenness of the violence. Schem recalls the terrifying moment she was coerced into a private vehicle alongside seven perpetrators, being dragged by her hair and pushed forward. This abduction occurred just minutes after she had been dancing with her friend, Elia Toledano, at the Nova music festival.
The report states that seeing Toledano's body recovered later in Gaza remains a central, painful focal point of her grief. Schem describes the loss of Toledano as a profound spiritual blow, referring to him as an "angel" and suggesting his death serves as proof that "God takes only the good people ." This personal loss underscores the human cost that extends far beyond the immediate violence of the abduction.
Hamas propaganda and the indoctrination of Gaza's children
Beyond physical violence, Schem describes a calculated campaign of psychological warfare designed to dehumanize captives. she became the initial hostage captured in a Hamas propaganda video, a move the report describes as widely denounced for its dehumanizing content. This exposure added a layer of public psychological trauma to her private suffering.
Schem also provided a chilling account of the environment within Gaza, claiming that her captors actively taught their children to glorify death and embrace terrorism. She noted that the families of her captors began this conditioning from a very early age, fostering a culture of hatred that she witnessed firsthand during her 55 days of captivity. This observation points to a broader, systemic effort to prepare future generations for continued conflict.
The missing voices of other women in captivity
While Schem’s account is detailed, it leaves several questions regarding the collective experience of female hostages unanswered. The report notes that Schem had hoped to find a sense of shared compassion among the women held by Hamas, but she instead reported a profound sense of betrayal and a lack of support from her fellow captives.
It remains unclear how many other women experienced similar feelings of isolation or if the psychological dynamics varied across different groups of hostages. Furthermore, while Schem’s testimony provides a window into her specific ordeal, the broader experiences of the other individuals released alongside her or those still held remain largely unverified in this specific account. The source focuses heavily on Schem’s individual perspective, leaving the internal social dynamics of the hostage groups as a significant unknown.
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