A French-Israeli girl, who was among dozens taken hostage by Hamas militants, spoke about her detention conditions and fears during that period. Mia Shem, 21, was released in late November under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and made headlines while in captivity after Palestinians circulated footage of her receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to her arm.
In an interview with Israeli television, Shem recounted how she was dancing at a lively party near the Gaza border on October 7 when intruders from Hamas stormed the border in an attack that killed hundreds of partygoers. She attempted to flee, but her car was shot at and set on fire, prompting her to surrender due to her injury.
She told Channel 13, "It was a decision that had to be made in a split second; either stay in my place and die of burning or go with him," referring to the militant who captured her when she exited her burning vehicle.
Shem, who was transported to Gaza in a pickup truck, said she was held in a room for three days, with her arm in a makeshift splint, before being transferred to the home of a Hamas militant who she noted was sitting beside her bed to watch over her.
She stated, "(I was) locked in a dark room, and I was not allowed to talk or for anyone to see or hear me... with a terrorist watching me around the clock and violating me with his eyes." She added, "I feared being raped, I feared death... I was scared," mentioning that the presence of the militant's wife in the house provided her with some reassurance, even though she treated her with hostility.
Shem remarked, "His wife was outside the room with the children," considering this to be "the only reason he didn’t rape me." Hamas denies allegations of sexual assault against Israeli hostages.
Upon her release, Shem, while still in Gaza, stated that she was treated well. However, in her interview with Channel 13, she expressed feeling compelled to tell this story.
Shem explained that during her 54 days as a hostage, her captor's wife would "manipulate" her feelings by serving food to him while withholding it from her. She added, "His wife hated the fact that I was in the same room with him... she was very nasty, she looked at me maliciously, a bad woman."
She mentioned that the sound of Israeli bombing on the crowded Palestinian territory did not disturb her, even though the windows of the building where she was held shattered, and she experienced temporary deafness. She continued, "I told myself: If I didn’t die on October 7, I won't die now. I had confidence in the army."
However, her close friend Ilia Toldiano, who was abducted with her and transferred to another location, was killed during what Hamas described as an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli army, which recovered his body along with the bodies of four other hostages this month, stated that the circumstances of their deaths are under investigation.
