Mia Schem spoke about the harrowing treatment she faced as a Hamas captive at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
"For 50 days, I was kept alone, suffering from an unbearable pain in my hand without any treatment. A Hamas terrorist sat in front of me in a dark room with a gun pointed at my head. Not a single humanitarian agency saw me or treated me even as my arm got worse. Where was the Red Cross? Where was the UN demanding that we have access to us?"
Schem, aged 22, was released in the first round of hostage releases in November. She addressed the press outside of the UNSC with Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon. Both heavily criticized the UN's response regarding the hostages.
"I stand here to echo the cries of the 101 hostages who have been in hell for over a year. Look at me! I am proof that they can still be saved!" she said. "In this moment, 60 meters underground with no air, no light, no hope, my friends are still being held by monsters.
"My heart is still with them, captive in Gaza. I stand here and demand that you bring all of them home now!"
Before the General Assembly session on UNRWA, I gave a media statement with Mia Schem, who was released from Hamas captivity. Together we criticized the moral failure of the UN, which has not lifted a finger for the hostages since that Black Sabbath on October 7th. Together we… pic.twitter.com/1WilB34Ili
— Danny Danon דני דנון (@dannydanon) November 6, 2024
"The UN's complete moral failure is unforgivable," said Danon in his address before Schem's remarks. "It is unforgivable that while Mia was locked in a cage alongside other women, none of the UN bodies...found the decency to condemn Hamas and demand the hostages' release."
"It's been over a year, and the UN has not lifted the finger to free the hostages," Schem said. "You sit here in your comfortable chairs debating the lives of my friends as if they are a political issue and not innocent people being tortured by terrorists. I ask you, why do we even have a United Nations if it won't stand for us in the darkest of moments?"