Israel News: Mia Schem 'feared being raped' in Hamas captivity, ex-Gaza hostage says

 

Mia Schem 'feared being raped' in Hamas captivity, ex-Gaza hostage says

In an interview with Channels 12 and 13, Mia Schem, who was released from the hands of Hamas, recounted moments of her abduction and the horrors of captivity.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF, DECEMBER 30, 2023

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-780159

 MIA SCHEM shows her new tattoo, ‘We will dance again 7.10.23.’

(photo credit: ELAD SIMCHAYOFF/X)

Hamas hostage Mia Schem, who was released from captivity in late November, has described how she feared being raped by the gunman who watched over her around the clock in the home where he lived with his wife and children in Gaza.

Already at the Nova party, where she was kidnapped from, she had a bad feeling. "I was at the party with a heavy feeling of distress," she said, "I felt that something was going to happen, I couldn't enjoy myself." 

When the rocket fire started, she and her friends started to drive away, but her car was fired on and set alight. One terrorist shot her in the hand at a close range, and she surrendered, getting out of the car. "I shouted: 'I don't have a hand, I don't have a hand.' I said Shema Yisrael, I don't want to die. Suddenly, a terrorist approached, and told my friend Elia [Toledano] to get up. [The terrorist] tied his hands. I haven't seen him since."

When she was standing in front of one of the terrorists, she said, he began "to touch my upper body," and hurt her hand. "Out of nowhere a vehicle with more terrorists came and pulled me away, and we drove to Gaza."

Upon arrival, the terrorists put her arm in a rudimentary splint, placing her in the back room of one of the hospitals in the Strip. “I was like that for three days, after which they told me to get dressed and put on a hijab. They took me straight to the operating room, without painkillers, without anything. The surgeon who treated me told me, ‘You will never return home alive.’”

Schem was taken to a family's apartment in Gaza

After the surgery, she was taken to a family's apartment in Gaza, and kept in a tiny room, "only two and a half meters." 

Mia Schem seen released from Hamas captivity, Thursday, November 30, 2023 (credit: screenshot)

She said, "It was just me and the terrorist. He would stare at me 24/7. There’s a fear of being raped, a fear that he will take the weapon and suddenly shoot me in the head. The room was closed, but occasionally they threw food at me. The children in the family would look at me and laugh. They look at you as if you’re an animal. You are afraid every second that something will suddenly happen."

She was afraid that the terrorist would try to touch her, but he didn't, "probably because his wife was outside the room. She came in from time to time and brought him coffee and tea."

During her 54 days as a hostage, Schem said, the captor's wife "toyed" with her, serving him meals while denying her food.

"His wife hated the fact that he and I were in the same room," Schem said. "You feel like you want a hug, you know, woman to woman, to break down a bit. That's all you had there. But she was so mean, she had such mean eyes - a bad woman."

Schem added that, at one point, the captor had confided to her that he did not love his wife.

For the entire 54 days she was held captive, Mia did not see daylight. "My body didn't move. It was hard for me to walk. My legs trembled. It's difficult to sleep when a Hamas man is staring at you."

Schem's psychological suffering in captivity

In the interviews, she refers to the great psychological suffering in captivity. "I compared myself to Gilad Shalit, I thought I would stay there for years. Once I was choking on my tears and he told me, ‘Enough, stop crying, or I'll send you to the tunnel.’ I told myself, ‘stay strong, don't fall apart here, you'll be back soon.’ I had thoughts about my father, mother and everyone, about how I get out of here and fly to Thailand."

One day, she recounts, "the terrorist freaked out and started crying. He took the Kalashnikov rifle. I was sure he was going to shoot me in my head. I asked him what happened, and he replied that two of his friends died in IDF bombings. Inside, I felt happy, outside I pretended to share his pain."

In another instance, she was transferred to a house where three other Hamas members stayed. "They were all sitting, armed with their faces covered. I was scared to death. I asked them if they were hungry, and sent one of them to the market. I told him to bring some groceries, and I made them a 'feast.' They called me 'Um Sultan.' I cursed the situation. It was either be murdered, make a ‘feast’, or be raped. When I left captivity, one of them told me, ‘Tell them that the people in Gaza are nice.’”

When asked why she decided to be interviewed, she explained that she wanted to "show the real situation of the people who live in Gaza. Who they are and what I experienced there. It is important to me that they understand that I went through a Holocaust and that everyone there is a terrorist."     

Pud says we are now at war and must give our support to the IDF to do it's job and prepare to take the fight into Gaza and not continue with our political squabbling.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed, Genesis 12:3

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The Usual Suspects: Muslim Car-Ramming Attack in Sheffield

Sheffield 'car ram' attack that left one dead and multiple injured was 'sparked by huge row between two British-Pakistani families at wedding party'. Police arrest murder suspect age 23, after his car ploughed into crowd of people.

• One man, 46, died at the scene while another was rushed to hospital 

An attack in Sheffield which saw a car driven at a crowd of people and left one man dead was sparked by a row between two families at a wedding party.  

Residents said trouble flared in Sheffield, South Yorkshire after a fall-out between the families of a woman and her partner.

There was violence in the street including a stabbing, before a man got in his car and drove at people. Members of his own family and bystanders who had come to intervene were among those injured.

One local said: 'There had been a wedding party at a house and an argument broke out over something.

'Somebody was not happy this particular couple are together and it just escalated from there.

'A woman got hurt and a family member called another relative who arrived at the scene in their car and drove down it at about 60 mph.

'The bloke who died was not been involved in the argument at all and was just in the wrong place. It's very tragic.'

Another resident added: 'There was a bit of a party going on and there was a row. Somebody belted down the road and just didn't stop.

Both families involved are from the area's large British-Pakistani community.

There was a large police presence in the Burgreave  area of Sheffield late into the night

The scene in College Close, Burngreave, Sheffield as the police cordon remains in place

Residents said trouble flared in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after a fall-out between the families of a woman and her partner

The murder vehicle being towed away from the scene 

Horrific video footage showed at least one body in the street in the aftermath of the incident in Pitsmoor, Sheffield.

A member of ambulance crew can be heard saying attempts were being made to resuscitate one casualty.

He also spoke of three other casualties including 'one gentleman with a stab wound'. 

The crew member can be heard saying: 'We're just trying to get some kind of order in place.'

One man, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene while another person was rushed to hospital where they remain in a serious condition.

A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder continues to be held by detectives investigating the incident in College Close in the Burngreave area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire Police said. 

They are also questioning a 55-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. 

Other residents living near the scene also claimed the violence followed a family row. 

One local said: 'It's a dispute between two families. The boy who got in the car has three sisters and it's a fallout between their family and the family of the youngest sister's partner.

Another resident said: 'It's a family issue which led to the disturbance. What followed is really shocking.'

Police officers stand at a cordon set up in the area after South Yorkshire Police launched a murder investigation

Police arrested one suspect, 23, on suspicion of murder and a 55-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder

Officers said emergency services were called to the area 'following reports of violence and disorder'.

While they were on their way, a car plowed into a crowd of people.

The man who was killed was a 'Good Samaritan', a father-of-two who 'stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need'.

Christian Marriott, who was on a post-Christmas walk with his family and children, was providing first aid to an injured woman when he was killed after the wedding party turned into a 'bloodbath' between warring families.

Mr Marriott left his two sons, aged eight and six, to help the lady, who was lying unconscious in the street. Police believe she had been involved in the altercation.

He was then hit by the car - which also ploughed into the woman he was trying to save and a number of others. 

The violence, which included a stabbing, broke out after two families started arguing following the ceremony at a local mosque.

Six other people suffered injuries during the incident including an off-duty midwife, who had also stopped to help.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Andrew Knowles, paid tribute to the victim of a 'horrific tragedy'.

He said: 'This is an utterly heartbreaking case in which a Good Samaritan, who had stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need, has lost his life. 

'Chris leaves behind a loving family including his devastated wife and two young sons.

Describing himself as 'a general all-rounder who loves leading and coaching', Mr Marriott had devoted his time to a series of charities and voluntary causes before his death.

Mr Marriott left his two sons, aged eight and six, to help the lady, who was lying unconscious in the street. She had been involved in the altercation.

An experienced finance, operations and project manager he turned his talents to specialised roles to help the community. 

He had held long-term roles as part of a monetary advice charity, at Sheffield's Museums and within the local church.

Within the Voluntary Action Sheffield charity, he lead their Healthy Holidays programme, bringing a range of activities and food to children across the summer.

Speaking about his efforts - which included delivering around 3,500 healthy food hampers in just one week - he said: 'It has stretched and challenged me beyond my comfort zone on so many occasions. 

'But seeing photos of kids getting outside, having fun and cooking at home has reminded, once again, that investing time and effort into the lives of children and young people is so worth it.'

Shocked Shazia Bi described the horror after her brother-in-law Riasat Khan - the groom's father - was mowed down by the speeding car which killed Mr Marriott.

The mother-of-five said a row had erupted after Mr Khan's son Hasan Khan, in his early 20's, had married his 19-year-old girlfriend Amani at a mosque near their homes in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, yesterday.

The violence, which included a stabbing,  broke out following a row between the families of a woman and her partner. 

Mrs Bi, who lives next door but one to the Khans in a quiet street in the city's Burngreave suburb, said: 'It was a happy occasion but it turned into a bloodbath. It was shocking. 

'An innocent man who wasn't a member of either family but had been trying to help and calm the situation sadly lost his life. 

Mrs Bi, speaking as police launched a murder investigation, said the two families had started arguing after the ceremony. 

She told MailOnline: 'The bride, the girl, was happy and everything was peaceful but there was a problem with her family who live a few miles away.

'I think they had been invited to the wedding but chose not to attend but later went to the boy's home to confront his family.

'It was her family making all the drama. They didn't want the girl to marry the boy.

'They were not happy that the wedding had gone ahead and a big argument started outside the house. There were lots of people in the street.'

Mrs Bi added: 'One of the girl's relatives drove into the crowds.

Other locals told how the horror unfolded in a normally quiet street after the bride's family confronted the groom's family, telling them: 'We didn't want this marriage, you son is not good enough for our daughter!'

'It was mayhem with people going absolutely crazy.

'There was shouting and fighting in the street, then a car sped along at 50mph and ploughed into the crowd.

'A man who had been trying to keep peace between the families died at the scene. It was terrifying.'

Several other people injured were members of the two British-Pakistani families - one living in College Close in the Burngreave suburb of the city where tragedy struck and the other visiting from nearby.

'Someone was stabbed as well as a man being killed.'

A shop keeper added: 'It was a dispute two between families. It's a fallout between their family and the family of the youngest sister's partner.

'It's a family issue which led to the disturbance. What followed is really shocking.'

The row broke out after the couple got married in a local Mosque.

The family of the 19-year-old bride were invited to the ceremony but declined. They later went to confront the groom's family at their home.

The father-of-the-groom is one of the men hit by the car.

Tarek Nayli, 49, a businessman living in a house overlooking where the fatal confrontation happened, described looking out to see 'one, possibly two' people under the car, and an injured man and woman in the street.

He said he saw another man 'with blood on his face'. Describing looking out from a window, Mr Nayli said: 'We heard a lot of noise then all these people came out from the house who were fighting.

'The people fighting were all men. When I went outside, everything seemed to have happened with the car. There was a guy and a woman who seemed to be injured and there were people under the car. I don't know if one or two.

'Another man had blood coming from his face. It was 2-3 minutes before the police came.'

Other residents told how the fighting followed a 'wedding party' at the house on the corner of College Street and College Close.

This afternoon, the scene had been cleared but police forensic officers were searching the house where the wedding party is said to have been held.

At the site where the car appears to have been driven onto the pavement, there was still broken glass and a mangled street sign.

Two other people, described by witnesses as a man and a woman, were said to have also been struck by the blue car, understood to have been driven by a member of one of the families.

One of the injured pair is critically injured. A fourth casualty, said to be a man, was bleeding from the head after being stabbed, it was claimed.

Police have now opened a murder investigation over the incident in Pitsmoor area of the South Yorkshire city that took place just after 2pm on December 27

A man, 23, was arrested on suspicion of murder and another man, 55, on suspicion of attempted murder.

Both families involved are from the area's large British-Pakistani community, locals said.