House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has invited Mia Schem, a young Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas, to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday.
During the October 7 Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis, Schem was shot in the arm as she was seized from the Supernova music festival. Her family said she developed epilepsy as a result of being held until November 30, 54 days after she was seized.
After her release, she told Israel’s Channel 13, “It’s important to me to reveal the real situation about the people who live in Gaza, who they really are, and what I went through there. I experienced hell. Everyone there are terrorists… there are no innocent civilians, not one. [Innocent civilians] don’t exist.” Her friend Elia Toledano was also seized; his body was recovered by the IDF in December.
Mia Schem is my hero 🩷🇮🇱🧸 pic.twitter.com/vfQ3jEE1Ho
— Iris (@streetwize) March 3, 2024
“At the State of the Union, I will be honored to host Mia Schem, who experienced the terrors of Hamas firsthand,” Johnson told Jewish Insider. “Mia spent more than 50 days in captivity after being kidnapped on October 7. I’m proud to stand with Mia and join her in demanding the release [of] all the hostages still held captive by Hamas. We must continue to fight to get them home.”
“While my thoughts and prayers are constantly with my friends who are still being held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, I am grateful to the Speaker for allowing me to show my gratitude for all the United States Government has done to assist the people of Israel in their time of need,” Schem said. “The bond between our countries is more important than ever and cannot be broken. As believers in God, we continue to pray together for peace.”
Schem recalled part of her time as a hostage in which a family in Gaza, including children, would taunt her and watch her like “an animal at the zoo,” Jewish Insider reported.
Johnson and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) have also invited the mother and brother of Omer Neutra, who is still held hostage. “As Hamas’ propagandists and unwitting accomplices seek to turn the world against Israel, it’s crucial that we remain steadfast, remember who started this war, and not forget the hostages and their loved ones,” Lawler stated to Jewish Insider. “When President Biden delivers his State of the Union on Thursday, I hope he will look at the faces of the Neutras and other family members of hostages and reaffirm America’s commitment to bring their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, grandparents, and grandchildren home safely.”
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Other senators and representatives who have invited relatives of those still held hostage or those whose family members were killed on October 7 include North Carolina GOP senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA); Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), and Democrats such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA).
“The American people cannot forget that six of our fellow citizens are still being held hostage by Hamas terrorists for more than 150 days,” Budd told Jewish Insider. “The ordeal that these families are going through is horrifying, and I will continue working as hard as I can to see that these Americans are released and returned to their families.”
“As the terrorist organization Hamas continues its brutal reign over the Palestinian people, we must continue to work to ensure they can never return to power and release all the remaining hostages, including many Americans,” Tillis stated.