Released Gaza Hostage Recounts Being Sexually Assaulted, Taunted While in Captivity

Sexual violence was part of the Hamas rampage into southern Israel, and Israel is accusing the international community of playing down or ignoring the pain of the victims.

GPO via AP
Israeli hostage Mia Schem, foreground centre, reuniting with her family at Sheba Medical Center in Israel. GPO via AP

An Israeli woman recently released from captivity in the Gaza Strip says she was groped by her Palestinian kidnapper and lived in constant fear throughout the weeks she was held hostage.

Mia Schem, a 21-year-old dual citizen of Israel and France, was attending a music festival in southern Israel when Hamas terrorists burst across the border and raided the event site on October 7. More than 300 people were killed and dozens taken hostage.

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