French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem released by Hamas

Heartwarming footage from earlier today shows terrified hostage Mia Schem breaking down in tears as she hugged her mother and brother for the first time since being kidnapped 55 days ago, The Sun reports.
 

Ms Schem, 21, was released alongside Amit Soussana, 40, on Thursday afternoon as six more hostages are now with the Red Cross according to the latest Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement.

The pair were paraded through a screaming crowd towards Red Cross workers.

A harrowing video shows hollow-cheeked Ms Soussana and Ms Schem getting out of a vehicle and quickly being placed into a Red Cross car.
 

Israel said the two women were handed over to IDF special forces and would be transferred to the Hatzerim Base for medical checks.

The two ladies were the first hostages freed in this additional 24-hour truce period set early on Thursday morning.

Talks of a further day extension are ongoing as fighting could start again Friday morning (Friday afternoon AEDT).

Heart-wrenching footage showed Ms Schem’s mother breaking down in tears as she is being told her daughter is free.
 

“Mia is coming back!” she shouts as she fights back tears.

The Israeli-French woman was one of more than 190 people kidnapped by Hamas from the Supernova music festival on October 7.

She was seen pleading to be released in a video released by the terror group 10 days after the atrocity.

Ms Schem was shown receiving medical care for her wounded arm before telling the camera she was being held in Gaza and pleading for her release.
 

In the one-minute-long video posted to Telegram, she said, “They are taking care of me, giving me medicine, everything is fine.

“I only ask that they bring me home as soon as possible to my parents, to my siblings.

“Get me out of here as soon as possible. Please.”

Ms Schem also mentioned that she had just undergone a three-hour surgery in Gaza.
 

Following the release of the sick footage, her devastated mum begged the world “help bring my baby home”.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed her release.

“Mia Schem is free,” he wrote on X.

“I share this great joy with her family and all French people.”

Macron also expressed his solidarity with all those who remain hostages of Hamas.
 

“France is working with its partners to secure their release as soon as possible,” he said.

The release of the eight new hostages comes as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement was extended by another 24 hours.

The truce came just minutes before the six-day halt was set to end at 7am local time on Thursday.

But shortly after the deal was agreed, Hamas carried out a deadly attack in Jerusalem leaving three civilians dead.

The terror group’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the shooting branding it “heroic” and saying it was in response to killing the “children and women in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank”.

The group also called for an “escalation of the resistance”.

Officials said the victims included a 24-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man while another eight people were wounded in the attack.
 

Hamas appeared to admit breaking the truce with Israel which saw 10 hostages being released and allowing more aid to reach the enclave.

A total of 14 more captives were released on Wednesday night as part of the truce deal.

Five children and five women from Israel and four Thai hostages were freed just hours before the truce deal was set to expire.

The group of 10 Israelis are made up of a Dutch child, three Germans and a woman from the US, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari said.

Among those released was Rimon Kirsht, 36, who fearlessly stared down a Hamas thug as she was freed.

Other hostages included a young girl with her pet dog, an elderly woman in a wheelchair and kids bandaged up.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission