Mia Schem, a former captive released as part of the first hostage deal with Hamas in November 2023, recalled her experiences in Gaza and the harsh conditions she endured. Speaking during a ceremony at the Israeli consulate in New York to commemorate the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the massacre Tuesday overnight, she spoke about the other women who are still held in Gaza.
"I was put in a cage with five young women; they’re still there, tortured and abused," Schem said at the event. "I was placed in a dark cage, with no air or light, only 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) high. Each of us had a brutal abduction story; we were wounded and shocked."
Mia Schem in New York
(Video: Israeli consulate in New York)
“After 50 days, weak and injured, I was led to the tunnels. Two hours of walking with an armed terrorist in front and one behind, 60 meters (196 feet) underground. I was put in a cage with no light or air. In the cage, I met five young women, each with her own horrific abduction story."
"We spent five days in that dark cage, with two armed guards switching shifts every 12 hours. I tried to encourage them and promised we’d be freed soon. We were wounded and shocked by what had happened to us. We were innocent young women only weeks earlier. On the fifth day, I was taken out. I managed to hug them and promised they’d be freed the next day, that we’d meet again in our homeland to pick up the pieces."
"It’s been a year; I’m here physically, but my innocence was left in fields of blood and my heart remains captive in Gaza with five young women still held there, tortured and abused, with no air, in the depths of hell,” she added. “I stand here before you today — no longer a child but a strong woman who won’t rest until everyone returns from those depths of hell."
Ayelet, the mother of hostage Yonatan Samrano whose body is still held in Gaza, spoke about her son’s abduction at the event. “An UNRWA social worker kidnapped my son. This person, who worked in an organization meant to do good and alleviate human suffering, kidnapped my son. This UN worker took him after he was shot by terrorists. Today, we mark a year since the darkest, most haunted day since the founding of the Jewish state.”
Her words come against the backdrop of a bill approved in the Knesset on Monday banning UNRWA’s activities in Israel.
Around 600 guests attended the event, including Israeli-American Council (IAC) CEO Elan Carr, leaders of New York's Jewish community, bereaved families, foreign consuls general, social media influencers, journalists and more.
In his speech, Israel's Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis, said, "What Hamas intended on doing on that day was to destroy Israel. They aimed to commit genocide. As they wrote in their founding charter in 1987 — to destroy the State of Israel and build an Islamic state in its place.
"This wasn't the first massacre in our nation’s history. We've seen many since 1920. But this was certainly the most brutal. If anyone thinks the Jewish people will ever forget or forgive this, they're mistaken. If anyone thinks we'll apologize for defending ourselves, they're wrong."
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