First-ever Hamas hostage video: Kidnapped Israeli woman pleads for release
In a recent video, a young woman named Maya Shem, 21 years old from Shoham, Israel, who was abducted by Hamas during an attack on a music festival near the Gaza Strip, pleads for her release.
The video also shows her receiving treatment for an arm injury. This is the first hostage video released by Hamas following their attack on Israel on October 7.
According to Israel, there are 199 people held captive in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that Maya was indeed abducted by Hamas and are in contact with her family.
🇵🇸🇮🇱 Hamas Release a Video Of A Hostage.
— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) October 16, 2023
Mia Shem, 21 years old, is a Shoham resident with French citizenship.
She was kidnapped by Hamas from Sderot on the 7th of October.
"I am a prisoner in Gaza and they treated me and performed a surgery on me that took 3 hours, and… pic.twitter.com/0u1QZ0RgxR
In the video, the girl says she was badly hurt and has been receiving medical treatment.
"Hi, I'm Maya Shem, 21 years old from Shoham. Currently, I'm in Gaza. I returned early Saturday morning from Sderot; I was at a party. I was seriously injured in my hand. I underwent surgery on my hand at the hospital [in Gaza] for 3 hours. They are taking care of me, giving me medicine, everything is fine. I only ask that they bring me home as soon as possible to my parents, to my siblings. Get me out of here as soon as possible. Please," according to the translation by The Jerusalem Post.
The Israeli military strongly condemned the video and confirmed that Maya Shem was kidnapped by Hamas last week. They are staying in touch with her family.
The IDF stated that in the video released by Hamas, they are attempting to portray themselves as humane, but they consider Hamas a ruthless terrorist organization. They accuse Hamas of being responsible for the killing and kidnapping of innocent people, including babies, children, men, women, and the elderly.
Maya Shem's aunt, in an interview with Israeli media, mentioned that the family saw the video and confirmed that it was indeed Maya. Her family was relieved to see her, even though she appeared hurt and scared, knowing that she was alive.
Maya's mother, Keren Shem, last spoke to her daughter the day before Hamas attacked southern Israel unexpectedly. Maya mentioned she was going to a party in the south but wasn't sure of the exact location.
When the family learned about the violent incident the next day, they tried calling her but received no response. It was only later that the IDF informed them about her abduction into Gaza.
Maya's family is hoping that other countries will assist in bringing her back home.
The ongoing conflict has caused over 4,000 deaths, and Gaza, in particular, is suffering the most.
It is facing a severe humanitarian crisis as it has run out of basic necessities, and more than half of its people have been forced to leave their homes.