Hamas releases video of French-Israeli woman held hostage

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Hamas has released a video of Mia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman taken hostage during the devastating attack on Israel.

In the footage, Schem, whose injured arm is shown being treated by an unidentified medical worker, asks to be returned to her family as quickly as possible.

On Tuesday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, described the video as “an odious act”. The Elysée said the French president, who is on an official visit to Albania, demanded her unconditional release.

“It is an ignominy to take innocent people hostage and put them on show in this odious way,” the presidential palace quoted Macron as saying. It added that France was “working with its partners to free French hostages held by Hamas”.
A representative of the family, which was among a group of French citizens who appealed last week to Macron to help free their missing relatives, confirmed her identity to Reuters.

At least 199 Israelis and foreigners were seized by Hamas gunmen and taken captive in the attack, which killed 1,300 people, the largest number of dead in a single day in Israel’s 75-year history.

In the video, the first released by Hamas of a hostage allegedly speaking from captivity, Schem said she was being held in Gaza, was being well treated and appealed for her release.

On Sunday, the French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, met Schem’s family and those of others who were killed or are believed to have been taken hostage.

The Israeli military issued a statement, saying it was in constant touch with Schem’s family and condemning Hamas as a “murderous terrorist organisation”. It said it was using “all intelligence and operational measures” for the return of the captives.

“In the video, Hamas is trying to portray itself as a humane organisation, while it is a responsible for the murder and abduction of babies, women, children, and elderly,” it said.

In the 78-second video, which was broadcast on Hamas’s Telegram channel, Schem says she is in Gaza, is being given medicine and wants to go home. It is unclear when it was filmed and if she was under duress during filming. Analysis by the New York Times suggests parts of it were filmed six days ago.

Schem, who reportedly has French citizenship, was abducted on 7 October from the Supernova music festival, where hundreds were killed.

Schem’s family told Israeli media of their joy at seeing the video of her, with Schem’s aunt, named as Galit, calling it “a very significant step”. “She looks hurt and scared – but at least she’s alive,” she is quoted as saying.

Earlier, Khaled Meshaal, a former Hamas chief who heads its diaspora office in Doha, spoke to AlAraby TV and said it would spare no effort in using its captives as leverage to free 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Gunmen from Hamas took scores of hostages after rampaging through southern Israeli communities and military bases on 7 Octobe

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