‘RELAY THE TRUTH’

Freed Israeli Hostage Says She ‘Went Through a Holocaust’ in Gaza

She made the remarks in a Channel 13 interview set to be released on Friday.

Mia Schem, a 21-year-old hostage released by Hamas in the temporary ceasefire deal in November, said she “went through a Holocaust” during her 54 days in captivity, according to an Israeli Channel 13 clip from an interview set to be released on Friday. When asked why she broke her silence, Schem said, “It was important to me to relay the truth about the nature of the people who live in Gaza, who they are truly are, and what I experienced there.” She later added, “Everyone there were terrorists… Entire families are in the service of Hamas.” Schem was kidnapped during the Supernova music festival attack on Oct. 7 and became the subject of the first hostage video released by Hamas. She told Channel 13 that she was moved into a civilian family’s home in Gaza afterward, recalling, “I began asking myself questions: Why am I being held in some family’s household? Why are there children here? Why is there a woman here?” The Messenger reported that this is one of two conversations set to air in Israel, with Schem telling Channel 12 News that she was “like an animal in the safari.”