The short video clip shows Mia Schem lying on a bed, her right arm being bandaged by someone out of the frame. A long, fresh scar is clearly visible.

Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman, is being held hostage by the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The video released by Hamas on Monday is the first footage of any of the dozens of people held in the enclave.

Speaking into the camera, Schem, who looks pale, but is sitting up straight with her head held high, says she was injured and taken to Gaza, then pleads to be returned to her family.

As she speaks, loud rumbling can be heard in the background.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, Schem’s mother urged the government and world leaders to bring her daughter back home.

  • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Whenever people go, “This is fucked up. Kidnapping people.”

    Some asshole always replies, “Well what about what X is doing?”

    Get ready.

    • Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yes. Whataboutism is what trolls and bad faith players use to detract. Don’t let them. Don’t even engage. Just downvote and move on.

      • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        “Your side is kidnapping people, it’s fucked up.”

        “So is yours.”

        “WHATABOUTISM, DOWNVOTED.”

        Yeah that’s the level of communication I expected.

        • Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I’m not talking about people engaging in an actual discussion. That’s not what “whataboutism” is. Whataboutism is a tool. Its in the playbook from actual troll farms. It’s meant to detract and sow discontent.

          • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            “Well what about what x is doing” is what OP said and you agreed as if the phrase itself can’t be used meaningfully in discussion. Whataboutisms are to distract by changing the topic to something unrelated but the only people changing the topic are those who are pro Palestine trying to illustrate Israel’s wrongdoings which led to the acts you and others condemn.

            • Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              then some asshole replies

              That was what prompted the whataboutism thought. I assumed my words and intent were clear, but I guess not from your reply

              Whataboutisms are to distract by changing the topic to something unrelated

              Yes. That’s why I said bad faith actors. They aren’t interested in actual discussion.

              but the only people changing the topic are those who are pro Palestine trying to illustrate Israel’s wrongdoings which led to the acts you and others condemn.

              I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about. The only people I am condemning are those who are not here for actual discussion. Hence my entire point.

    • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      Two things can be messed up at once. There’s hope yet for the safe release of the hostages if Israel and America are willing to cooperate and openly communicate with Hamas officials. Bombing hospitals hasn’t done much to stabilize things in the region or progress talks with regards to releasing the hostages. Israel must commit to a ceasefire, and must co-operate firstly with red cross and the UN, secondly with Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran to prevent this from escalating into a war on multiple fronts. Everyone wants the hostages to be released safely.

      • qdJzXuisAndVQb2@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Still sticking to the Israeli air strike story huh? Nice, makes it clear how objective you are

        • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 year ago

          Provide proof to the contrary. No one has yet. It’s entirely heresay and “we have proof but we won’t show you”. Israel sent a fake video that was almost immediately disproven. They’ve bombed schools today. They’ve bombed other hospitals since Oct 7th. I don’t doubt for a single second that they would do this.

      • Kale@lemmy.zip
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        1 year ago

        And even more violence could have been prevented if Hamas had cooperated and openly communicated with Israel before they attacked and took hostages. /s

    • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Kidnapping is fucked up. You shouldn’t kidnap people. Including the millions in Gaza who have been kidnapped and imprisoned. This isn’t a whataboutism as you describe, this is making sure you realize these actions are bad even when your side does them.

      We all know Hamas is bad - what we’re trying to drill into your skull is that Israel is doing the same fucking shit as Hamas.

  • avater@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m really curios what real Palestinians think about their government which is led by a terrorist group.

    • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They live in an open air prison, would you be surprised if most of them support those lunatics?

      • mwguy
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        1 year ago

        They live in a city, not an open air prison.

        • NotPersonal@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Without condoning their actions. I find it pretty easy to understand how growing up in such a shitty situation could lead anyone to extremes. It’s easy for me to say “I would never” but my life has been pretty easy. I’m lucky to have never found (or tested) my breaking point.

    • Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      50% of the people living in gaza are children. So they probably dont think much about their ideal government

      • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        What worries me is what they’re learning as children. Indoctrination is a powerful and despicable tool. I heard, but cannot verify, that Hamas shows radicalizing cartoons to them. It certainly seems likely that they are influenced to see Hamas favorably.

        So even if they do support Hamas, they’ve been brainwashed into it, and their daily reality reinforces it. This doesn’t excuse anything at all but man. I just want those kids to have a peaceful life, free of hate and free from attacks. They need to be hugged and deprogrammed.

        • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          This situation has been going on for 18 years. 50% of the population doesn’t know everything else in their lives. From their point of view, they are fully justified to hate Israel, without the help of any doctrine, religion or anything else - and they can do so without shame.

          Gaza’s children already lost. It’s too late for them to experience a life without fear or not being hungry. They were raised in a vacuum and have no reference of anything else in life.

          Fuck everything happening around the only ones, that really didn’t have the slightest chance in life, of not living there.

    • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I only know one and he hated Hamas or any of the other terrorist groups. He supported a single state under Israel.

      He stance was most people just want to have a good job, raise their family and live in peace. Israel has shown to be successful and the Palestinians should join the success.

      He lives in America now. He was able to leave and come here.

      He is Muslim.

      He felt Hamas, etc are there just to stir the pot to keep themselves in power.

      • Doorbook@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        People reach different conclusions. Some are willing to leave their homes and find peace somewhere else, while other fight back. Both will hate each other, for one to never have loyalty to their home and the other for causing more mesary.

        There are no right and wrong for these two.

    • deleted@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Palestine is unfortunately considered as a tool by the east through Iran to pressure the west by threating Israel.

      The west usually leverage this pressure to bomb Palestine and gain more ground to build settlements.

      After years of suffering, some palestinains would rather die defending their homeland.

      Watch this video: https://youtu.be/Bvf9bpqL4KM

    • zik@zorg.social
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      1 year ago

      It’s not like they have a choice about their government. There’s no voting and hasn’t been for decades.

    • ComradeKhoumrag
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      1 year ago

      The Palestinian Authority is the government Israel allows Palestinians to have. Are you calling Israel a terrorist group?

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Speaking into the camera, Schem, who looks pale, but is sitting up straight with her head held high, says she was injured and taken to Gaza, then pleads to be returned to her family.

    Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, Schem’s mother urged the government and world leaders to bring her daughter back home.

    Holding a picture of her daughter, Keren Scharf Schem said: “I am begging the world to bring my baby back home, she only went to a festival party to have some fun and now she is in Gaza and she is not the only one.”

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it had informed Schem’s family about her kidnapping last week and are keeping in touch with them at this time.

    IDF spokesperson Maj. Libby Weiss told CNN on Tuesday that the release of the video was “another way by Hamas to wage a psychological war” on civilian population of Israel.

    Schem was kidnapped from the Nova festival near the Gaza Strip after Hamas fighters launched a terror attack last Saturday that so far killed at least 1,400 people.


    The original article contains 801 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 76%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!