Mother of Israeli hostage, 21, in Hamas video begs for her 'baby back'

The heartbroken mother of abducted Israeli Mia Schem said she is ‘begging the world to bring my baby back home’ after Hamas terrorists paraded her in a disturbing hostage video. Keren Schem (pictured), whose daughter is a French and Israeli citizen, appealed for her child and the other hostages taken on October 7 to be returned home. She said the 21-year-old, who was shot at and abducted from the Nova Festival near the Israeli border, ‘only went to a party, to a festival party to have some fun… and now she’s in Gaza.’

Video released by her family shows Mia, who her mom has described as a ‘warrior’, dancing and smiling with friends. Mia’s family lost contact with her at the festival when her ominous final message read: ‘They’re shooting at us. Please, come save us!’ 

At a Press conference today, Keren called for the world to come together to stop Hamas, who she said had committed a ‘crime against humanity.’ She added: ‘There are many children who went to this party, many babies, children, old people and Holocaust survivors that were kidnapped, their houses were burned. This is a crime against humanity and we should all gather and stop this terror and bring everybody back home.’ 

Keren said she spent hours calling her daughter’s phone after she went missing from the Nova Festival near Sderot, which was stormed by gunmen who killed at least 260 people and took 199 people hostage on October 7. Also speaking on Tuesday, Mia’s brother said the family wants only one thing, for his sister ‘and all the other hostages who are captured on the Gaza Strip, to bring them back home.’ They added: ‘Mia is an innocent child who just wanted to go to a party with her friends, and ended up kidnapped and taken away from home.’ 

Keren didn’t know if her daughter was dead or alive for more than a week, before the chilling footage of her captive daughter was released from Gaza last night. The video, which was published on the group’s official Telegram channel, shows the young woman speaking Hebrew as she addresses the camera directly. She says she is from central Israel and that her captors are taking care of her. In a heartbreaking message to the Israeli government, she says: ‘I only ask that you get me out of here as soon as possible. Please.’ MailOnline has decided to publish one still image from the video after the 21-year-old’s family gave media organisations permission to do so. It is the first footage released by Hamas of a hostage purportedly speaking from captivity, with the caption saying she was abducted on October 7.

‘There was a rumour saying that she was wounded in the shoulder or the leg. She was wounded in the hand. She was operated on,’ Keren said. She added of the footage: ‘She looks terrified. She says what they tell her to say. I’m really worried about her.’ Keren only found out her daughter had been kidnapped, and was not among the many hundreds of Israelis slaughtered by Hamas, on October 14. ‘I was so happy, it is so pathetic,’ she told France24. ‘I was happy to hear that my baby is [being held captive by] the worst enemy in the world. I mean, God knows what she’s going through.’

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Keren, a single mother of four, said her eldest daughter was her ‘best friend’ and would always help her out at home. ‘She has a mind of a 50-year-old woman, not a 20-year-old girl. She’s so mature and she’s a real warrior,’ she added. ‘I know that she is there with other people in Gaza, and I’m sure that she is taking care of them.’ The festival Mia was attending was one of the first places to be targeted by Hamas when the terrorist group launched its surprise attack across the Gaza border ten days ago. Hundreds of revellers, who had been at the dance festival in the desert, were horrifically gunned down by Hamas. Others were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza as hostages.

In footage of one kidnapping, a 26-year-old student was seen begging for her life on the back of a Hamas terrorist’s motorcycle. Noa Argamani (pictured) was seen screaming: ‘Don’t kill me! No, no, no.’ But the gunman speeds off. Noa hasn’t been seen since. Her boyfriend, Avi Nathan, was left behind in the desert. He too is missing. Noa’s grief-stricken father Yaacov gave an interview to Israeli television on Sunday after the attack. 

He said: ‘I was hoping this is a mistake that it’s not true. And then in the hospital a guy asked me if I wanted to see. I said yes and then I know for sure it is Noa… she was so petrified, so scared.’ He then began to sob uncontrollably. ‘I was always so protective but in this moment I couldn’t protect her,’ he told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 News. ‘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.’ The Israeli military confirmed on Monday that at least 199 hostages were taken back in Gaza, higher than previous estimates. 

More than 1,400 people are known to have been killed in the terrorist attacks on October 7 which has since been followed by thousands of deaths in Gaza in retaliatory Israeli air strikes. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have been massing in preparation for a ground invasion of the Palestinian territory, but this was postponed at the last minute over the weekend amid suggestions they had received new intelligence about hostages taken by Hamas. Aaron Cohen, a former Israeli special operator, told Fox News on Sunday that claims the invasion had been postponed due to bad weather may not be the real or full reason.

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