Franco-Israeli hostage Mia Shem freed by Hamas – Liberation

The 21-year-old woman became one of the hostages’ identities after appearing in the first video released by the Islamist group on October 16, a rare sign of hostage life publicly reported by prison guards.

Mia Shem was freed on October 7, almost two months after she was kidnapped by Hamas during the Tribe of Noah music festival that was destroyed by the attackers. A 21-year-old Franco-Israeli woman was freed by the Islamist group on Thursday, November 30, along with 40-year-old hostage Amit Chosna. The two women were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Gaza Strip under a humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the Jewish state and Hamas that came into force on Friday 24 November. They are now in Israel. Pictures posted on social networks show the teenager being transferred to a humanitarian organization. We see a former tattoo parlor employee in a white truck, amidst a throng of onlookers, phones brandished to film her exit from the Palestinian enclave.

Proof of life

After October 7, Mia Shem’s face quickly became one of the symbols of Israel’s capture of more than 200 hostages, a bargaining chip in negotiations with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The effect of his mother Keren Shem’s activism among the families of the captives, but especially the video released by Hamas on October 16, was broadcast by the Islamist group as the first evidence of the lives of the hostages. In the process of being treated for a wounded hand, she appeared before the camera, with a lively face, saying a few Hebrew sentences, presumably dictated by her captors. “My name is Mia Shem, I am 21 years old and I am from Shoham. I am currently in Gaza. […] They take care of me, give me medicine, everything is fine. I request you to bring me home as soon as possible and bring me back to my family. Please get us out of here ASAP” she pleaded. The Israeli army condemned the act Hamas’ Psychological Terrorism Against Israeli Citizens.

“It’s very strange: they could have killed her, they came to kill her, they took her and kept her. […] I want to hug her and not let her go. David Shem, Mia’s father, responded on Israeli television. In social networkEarlier on Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his opinion “Great Joy” And its “Solidarity with all Hamas hostages”. “France is working with its allies to secure their release as soon as possible.” he said. With the release of Mia Shem and them, on Monday afternoon, Erez (12 years old) and Sahar Calderon (16 years old), and Aidan Yahalomi (12 years old), the number of missing French people, and hostages , the October 7 attack is now four. Among them was Mia Shem’s 28-year-old friend Elia Toledano, who was abducted during the Noah festival.

Uncertain stability

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was extended at the last minute this Thursday morning. An agreement between the two sides provides for the release of eight other hostages held by the Islamist group today, including two Russian nationals and a group of Palestinian prisoners. The release of the hostages may have been staggered throughout the evening as an unusual truce came into effect – true, According to an Israeli source cited by CNN, the dispersal of prisoners across multiple locations in the Gaza Strip will create additional operational difficulties. In the space of a week, 80 people were released by Hamas. More than 150 are believed to remain in the hands of Palestinian organizations.

However, the sustainability of the ceasefire appears uncertain, especially since Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack in Jerusalem that killed three people. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the two combatants announced that they were ready to fight again, with Hamas pledging. “Maintaining a High Level of Military Readiness”, When Israel warned that its troops “Fully positioned and ready to resume operations”. Anticipating the risk of the deal expiring, US diplomatic chief Anthony Blinken called on the Israeli military on Thursday. “All possible measures should be taken to prevent harm to the public”. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 15,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

Updated at 6:51 p.m. With more information.