After being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza last November, following over 50 days in captivity, Mia Schem has become a prominent figure in the fight for the release of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas.
Since her return, Schem’s story has resonated deeply across the country, and she has shared the extreme hardships she endured while being held captive by the terrorist organization.
In a sneak peek for the next episode of Connected: Life in War, airing on Sunday on HOT3, Mia spoke with photographer Ziv Koren, who was the first to photograph her after her release, about the difficulties she had faced.
Time in captivity
“We arrived at some place, and they put me in a room,” Mia recalled, describing the severe injuries she suffered during her abduction. “They sat me in the corner; my hand was unbound, and I was bleeding. There were many Arabs around.”
“A hospital bed under a small light was in the middle of the room—like something from a horror movie.” She added that her hand had been tied with plastic for three days.
Mia also described a particularly distressing moment at her captor’s home. “I had arrived there on the last day of my period and could barely walk, so they had to hold my hand.”
“His wife followed me into the bathroom. I was crying, in pain, trying to put in a tampon but failing. I was sobbing, and she started screaming at me while he banged on the door. I fainted from the pain, left with no underwear or pants.”
She further described the sexual harassment she experienced from her captor, who “kept reminding me that he had seen me without underwear.”
Reflecting on the trauma, she said, “Throughout my captivity, I didn’t have a period due to the shock and trauma my body went through.”
