Hamas releases video of Mia Schem in first proof of life of Israeli hostage

Palestinian group Hamas released a video Monday showing a woman taken hostage from a music festival close to the Gaza-Israel frontier on 7 October.

In the video, which was released by Hamas via official channels and shared widely on social media, 21-year-old Schem said she had been taken hostage by Hamas while at the Tribe of Nova music festival.

Schem said was now being held in Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli bombardment since Hamas launched its large-scale attack on Israeli territory ten days ago.

"I am desperate for them to bring me home as quickly as possible," Schem, who is a French-Israeli dual national, purportedly says in the video.

An unidentified person can be seen attending to Schem's injured arm in the video.

When Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory, fighters from the group killed around 1,300 Israelis and took others hostage.

Israel has said that there are 199 Israeli and foreign hostages being held in Gaza. The video of Schem is the first official proof of life from Hamas of a hostage it is holding.

Hamas officials have asked that some 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails be released in exchange for the hostages.

A Hamas official told Sky News on Monday that it was impossible to know how many of the hostages are still alive.

In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and imposed a total siege on the enclave. 

About 3,000 Palestinians – two-thirds of them women and children – have been killed in the bombing. More than 1,400 Israelis have also been killed since Saturday.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to press of Schem's case on Tuesday.

"We're doing all that we can to get her freed," he said.