Desperate Mother Appeals for the Safe Return of Daughter Mia following Hamas' Hostage Video

Keren Shem, the mother of Mia Shem who was taken hostage by Hamas gunmen in Gaza, has made a plea for the immediate release of her daughter and the other 198 hostages. During a press conference in Tel Aviv, Keren Shem held up a picture of her daughter, who is of French-Israeli descent. The militant group Hamas released a video on Monday showing Mia Shem with a wounded arm. According to her mother, Mia had only gone to a festival party to enjoy herself, and now she is being held captive in Gaza along with many others. This video is the first of its kind to be released by Hamas since they abducted Israelis, dual nationals, and foreign citizens on Israeli soil on October 7th. Hamas's armed wing released a separate video, stating that the hostages were their "guests" and would be released when circumstances allowed. In the video, Mia Shem, who is 21 years old, can be seen receiving treatment for her injury and appealing in Hebrew to be reunited with her family as soon as possible. French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned Hamas and demanded Mia's immediate release, describing the act as an "ignominy" and expressing concern for innocent people being held hostage. France is actively working to secure the release of the 13 hostages with French nationality. Tragically, 19 French citizens lost their lives during the Hamas attack on over 20 Israeli communities and the Tribe of Nova music festival, where they unleashed violence resulting in the death of over 1,400 people. The Israeli military has condemned the Hamas video as "psychological terror" against Israeli citizens. They have assured continuous communication with Mia Shem's family and criticized Hamas for attempting to portray themselves as a humane organization, despite their history of murdering and abducting innocent people. During the press conference, Keren Shem emphasized that not only her daughter but also babies, children, and elderly individuals including Holocaust survivors had been kidnapped. She deemed this a crime against humanity and called for united efforts to stop this terror and bring everyone back home.