October 7 attack survivor Mia Schem shares her experience of being captured by Hamas and held in Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, attendees of the Nova music festival near the Israeli-Gaza border encountered unimaginable horror when rockets were launched overhead. Mia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli, was filming a video with her friend Elia Toledano when chaos erupted. The day would be marked by tragedy, resulting in the deaths of 378 festival-goers and Schem enduring a harrowing ordeal of ammunition fire and captivity.

From Celebration to Catastrophe

Mia and Elia had spontaneously decided to attend the music festival, unaware of the lurking danger at the festival’s remote location in the Negev desert. They believed it was just another event—little did they know how close they were to turmoil. As the sound of rockets filled the air, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Schem recalls rushing to Elia’s car, desperate to escape. Especially chilling was the realization that their survival hinged on a split-second decision of which direction to flee; those who turned towards Tel Aviv encountered deadly confrontations with Hamas militants.

When they attempted to escape, bullets peppered their vehicle as they careened past armed militants, with Schem recalling the scene as chaotic and terrifying. Unfortunately, their escape was thwarted when the car rolled over, trapping them inside. With doors jammed, they were forced to exit through the windows, only to find themselves exposed and vulnerable to the ongoing gunfire.

Captivity and Despair

As they sought refuge beside the wrecked vehicle, both Schem and Toledano were shot and subsequently captured by Hamas. In the weeks that followed, Schem endured 55 days of captivity in Gaza. Traumatized and humanely deprived, she described her experience as being treated “like an animal in a cage.” The only reason she was spared further abuse, she believes, was due to her captor’s family being nearby. Her ordeal included being mistreated by her captor’s wife, deprived of basic sustenance and comfort.

Five days before her eventual release, Schem was taken to tunnels beneath Gaza, where she encountered other captives. This dark chapter in her life shifted her perspective on despair. Confronted by the hopelessness of our shared plights, her emotional scars are ones that she struggles to convey.

Return and Reflection

Once released from captivity during a brief ceasefire, Schem returned to her family, though the loss of her friend Elia weighed heavily on her heart. Tragically, Elia’s body was later recovered by Israeli forces, believed to have lost his life amidst the conflict in Gaza. The war, devastating and unforgiving, claimed so many lives, and endless echoes of sorrow linger.

Mia’s story has now found an outlet through a traveling exhibition depicting the horror of that fateful music festival. This exhibition has made its way through ten cities worldwide, inviting audiences into the emotional chaos of that day. Now in London, it confronts visitors with a reconstructed dancefloor symbolizing lost joy and vibrant life transformed into grief.

In a closing sentiment at the exhibition, Schem spoke passionately about her experience, the loss of Elia, and the resilience she finds in survival. “It’s a miracle that I’m here,” she stated earnestly, vibrating with emotion, “and if God saved me, I will never give up.” Her story is a stark reminder of both the fragility and strength of the human spirit amid chaos and atrocities.