Mia Schem: Wounded festival-goer in Hamas hostage video freed

A wounded festival-goer is among the latest hostages released from Gaza - having appeared in a video by Hamas after its 7 October attack on Israel.

Israeli-French tattoo artist Mia Schem, 21, was freed with another woman, followed later by six others.

The seven-day truce has so far seen 105 people released from Gaza. Israel is expected to release another 30 Palestinians prisoners on Thursday.

Hamas took about 240 hostages, with many taken from the Supernova festival.

Ms Schem was among them, and became the first person to appear in a Hamas hostage video on 16 October.

Images on Thursday showed Schem being handed to humanitarian organisation the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - along with Amit Soussana, a 40-year-old lawyer.

Six others were released later the same day, including a pair of teenage siblings.

Qatar - a key mediator in the deal - said two Russian-Israeli women released on Wednesday had been included in the following day's tally, meaning Thursday's expected number of 10 was reached.

It reiterated that 30 more Palestinian prisoners were also set for release on Thursday under the deal. Advocacy group the Palestinian Prisoners Club earlier said they comprised 22 children and eight women.

Meanwhile, mediators are continuing with efforts to further extend the pause in fighting - to allow more hostages to leave Gaza and more aid to enter.

Speaking on his third visit to the Middle East since the war broke out last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wanted to see the truce extended.

But, he warned, if Israel was to restart its military campaign, it had to take effective steps to ensure the protection of civilians in Gaza.

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• Explained: Who are the hostages released from Gaza?
• In Gaza: How much damage has been done?
• History behind the story: The Israel-Palestinian conflict

The images of Schem published on Thursday represented the first glimpse of her since the emergence of the Hamas footage last month - which showed her with an injured arm being treated while she was in captivity.

That video was condemned by the French government, and prompted Schem's mother Keren to hold a news conference in Tel Aviv calling for her daughter's immediate release.

Family video - published in Israeli media on Thursday - showed Keren weeping with joy at the news of her daughter's release, exclaiming: "Mia's coming back!"

Schem's father David gave his own reaction to Israel's Channel 12 TV: "It's the happiest day in the world; she's an amazing girl. I'm not going to leave her for a long period."

French President Emmanuel Macron described Schem's release as a source of "great joy".

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Schem's friend Elia Toledano remained in captivity, having also been abducted from the Supernova musical festival on 7 October.

The organisation described Schem as being "full of joy for life, and with a huge heart". It also saluted her "fighting spirit".

It also gave details about the other woman released on Thursday, lawyer Amit Soussana.

Ms Soussana lives by herself in Kfar Aza kibbutz, and was kidnapped while hiding in her shelter. She is said to be a fan of rock music and tennis, and has three cats.

The six others later released from Gaza included siblings Bilal, 18, and Aisha Alziadana, 17.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said their father and brother were also take hostage, and remain captives of Hamas.

It also said Mexican-born Ilana Gritzewsky, 30, had also been freed, as had Saphir Cohen, 29 - but the two women's partners were also still being held as hostages in Gaza.

Twenty-nine-year old Shani Goren - said to have been kidnapped with her dog - was also returned to Israel, along with Nili Margalit, 41, who works as a paediatric nurse.

Before Thursday's expected release, a total of 210 Palestinian prisoners had been released from Israeli jails.

Among the latest were prominent activist Ahed Tamimi, 22, who became a symbol of resistance to Israel's occupation of the West Bank while she was a teenager.

She was arrested earlier this month over an Instagram post, which her family say she did not write.

Those freed from Israeli prisons have been chosen from an original list of 300 Palestinians compiled by Israel.

They had been accused of a range of offences, from throwing stones to incitement to attempted murder.

Fewer than a quarter of those on the list had been convicted; the vast majority were being held on remand while awaiting trial.