‘Ignominy’: Israel, France and Hostage’s Family Slam Hamas Video

Jerusalem, 17 October, 2023 (TPS) -- Israel and French officials on Tuesday denounced Hamas for releasing a video featuring an Israeli-French national abducted into Gaza.

“It is an ignominy to take innocent people hostage and put them on show in this odious way,” said French President Emmanuel Macron in a statement released by the Elysee Palace.

The statement demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of 21 year-old Miya Shem, a resident of Shoham in central Israel.

At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Miya’s mother, Keren, criticized the video, saying, “I see that she is in pain, scared, saying what she is told to say.”

She added, “My message to my daughter is that I love her and I miss her and all these days I think about how I hug her when she comes home. That’s what kept me strong.”

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari described the video as “psychological terror” during a briefing for reporters.

“This is psychological terror by Hamas against the citizens of Israel. We understand that there will be more videos like this. In this video, Hamas tries to present itself as a humanitarian organization while it is in fact a murderous terror group,” Hagari said.

“How did a 21-year-old girl who went to a party to dance, end up being kidnapped by a murderous terror group in the heart of Gaza?” he asked.

Shem was abducted during Hamas’s attack on the Supernova Sukkot Music Festival on Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7. At least 260 people were killed at the rave.

The video, 1:18 long, shows Shem lying down as someone wraps a bandage around her right arm. It then cut to Shem speaking directly to the camera identifying herself, saying she was operated on for three hours for an injury to her hand.

“They’re caring for me, they’re treating me, they’re giving me medication. Everything is okay,” she says. “I’m only asking for me to be returned home as soon as possible, to my family, to my parents, to my siblings. Please get us out of here as soon as possible.”

Hamas claims it is holding around 200 hostages in Gaza, and that around 50 more are being held by other terror groups. Israel has so far only confirmed 199 hostages.

The terror group said that non-Israeli hostages were being held as “guests” who will be released “when circumstances allow.”