'We will dance again': Freed Hamas hostage Mia Schem gets poignant tattoo to commemorate Nova Festival victims after horror ordeal, shot and operated on by vet
Released Hamas hostage Mia Schem has had a poignant tattoo on her arm commemorating the victims of the Nova Festival massacre.
The French-Israeli tattoo artist, 21, was snatched during the October 7 massacre, in which hundreds of free-spirited festival-goers were brutally murdered during the terrorist group's massive invasion of Israel.
Eleven days after her release, Mia got a new tattoo marking the date of the festival massacre with the poignant words 'We will dance again' written above in memory of the 364 people who died.
She was shot and taken back to Gaza, where she was held captive for 54 days, during which she underwent three hours of surgery by a veterinarian to repair her injured hand.
Mia became one of the most high-profile prisoners after Hamas released a video in the early days of the war in which she was forced to parrot the terrorists' propaganda.
French-Israeli Mia Schem, 21, has had a new tattoo on her arm in memory of the 364 people killed during the Oct. 7 Nova Festival massacre
Freed Hamas hostage has the date of the massacre written on her arm with the poignant words 'We will dance again' written above
Mia gets the new tattoo from her friend and mentor Liav Forer. In a tearful message she wrote: '7.10.23 I will never forget. The pain and the fear, the difficult sights, the friends who don't come back and the ones we have to get back'
Heartwarming footage showed a tearful Mia reunited with her parents on November 30 as she was released during Israel's seven-day ceasefire with Hamas, which was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
Mia posted a photo of herself to her Instagram page yesterday – obtained exclusively by MailOnline – showing off the new body art, with her injured arm still wrapped in bandages and held in a sling.
In a tearful message she wrote: '7.10.23 I will never forget. The pain and the fear, the difficult sights, the friends who don't come back and the ones we need to get back.
“But we still have to win, we'll still dance!”
The post has had more than 165,000 likes and hundreds of supportive messages. In one, she is described as 'a symbol of light, hope and love'.
The new tattoo was inked by her mentor and friend, 36-year-old Liav Forer, who has a studio in the central Israeli town of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut.
The artist posted photos to his Instagram stories of Mia sitting in a chair and getting the tattoo.
Speak with The times Last month, before Mia was released, he spoke about their close bond.
βMia and I had known each other for a long time, we met as friends and she came over to get tattoos from me,β he said.
Mia with Liav Forer who previously spoke about their close bond before she was released from captivity
Mia (pictured, center) was one of two women released by Hamas after the ceasefire was extended, minutes before a timeout was due to occur
The French-Israeli hostage has been held for 54 days since she was dragged into Gaza on October 7.
Flanked by armed men and surrounded by hundreds of screaming men, Mia looks petrified as she is put into a Red Cross vehicle
'Her dream was to become a tattoo artist and work in a studio. A year ago she came back from Thailand and started working with me to run the new studio.β
Schem was one of eight hostages freed by Hamas hours before the seven-day ceasefire ended and hostilities took place last week.
Mia's aunt told Israeli media after her release that her niece was not receiving great care in captivity. 'She's skinny, she's weak. A vet operated on her arm. She did not receive any physical therapy,β she stated.
The extent of Mia's injuries has not yet been determined, but it is believed she will likely make a good recovery with physiotherapy after discharge from hospital.
Mia was captured along with her friend Elia Toledano, 27, by Hamas gunmen at the Nova music festival. She is still believed to be being held captive by Hamas.
The world watched in horror as Mia was paraded by Hamas terrorists in October in a chilling video in which she begged Israeli officials to “get her out of Gaza.” The video showed her injured arm being treated by an unknown medical worker.
After seeing her daughter's video, her mother Keren had 'begged the world to bring her daughter home', with the anguished mother saying at the time that she feared what the terrorists would do to 'her baby'.
But before she was released, she had to film a video talking about her experiences as a hostage. In an emotional clip shared by Hamas, she says: “People are very good, very kind to me… Food is good and the friendliness and everything is good.”
Mia was paraded by Hamas terrorists in a chilling video in which she begged Israeli officials to 'get her out of Gaza'
Mia looked full of life and beaming with happiness as she danced with friends in footage filmed at the ill-fated Nova Festival
A video released by her family showed Mia dancing and laughing with friends at the Nova Festival
Mia was seen smiling as she left hospital surrounded by her grateful family after being released from captivity.
Heartwarming footage showed Schem leaving Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan with her mother and brother in tow.
She became one of the most high-profile prisoners after Hamas released a video of her recovering from surgery in the early days of the war.
'Hello, I'm Mia Schem, 21 years old from Shoham. I am currently in Gaza. I seriously injured my hand. I had surgery on my arm in the hospital for 3 hours. They are taking care of me, giving me medicine, everything is fine,β she was heard saying at the time.