After Mia Schem was released from Gaza following her capture by the Palestinian resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Hebrew media covered Mia's aunt's claim that a vet had performed surgery on her arm. However, Christophe Oberlin, a renowned French surgeon specializing in microsurgery and hand surgery, denied this claim.
Who Is Mia Schem?
Mia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman, was taken captive in Gaza by the Palestinian Resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
Al-Qassam Brigades released a video of Mia Schem on October 16, 2023, in which she was seen undergoing surgery on her broken arm. In the video, she stated that she was treated well, received the necessary medicine, and found everything satisfactory in Gaza.
However, Schem’s more recent account of her captivity contrasts sharply with these initial remarks. In an interview, she revealed that Hamas had required her to say this on camera and provided a different account of her experience.
Israeli and Western Media Claim Vet Performed Surgery on Mia Schem's Arm
Following Mia Schem’s release on November 30, 2023, Schem’s aunt stated to the media that her niece had been “operated on in Gaza by a veterinarian.”
"Finally she is with us," said Vivian Hadar, Schem's aunt. "She was traumatized. She is thin and weak. A vet operated on her arm. She did physical therapy for herself."
Consequently, Israeli and Western media outlets reported Vivian Hadar’s claim. The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel published reports focusing on the claim that Schem's arm was operated on by a veterinarian from Gaza.
Western media outlets, such as Business Insider also, spread the claim.
In addition, the claim resurfaced online recently after a video was released showing Mia Schem in the gym using her both arms to lift weights.
An X user spread the video, along with the claim, “Mia Shem, who was held captive by Palestinians in Gaza, has finally healed from their breaking her arm and she can finally use it — 9 months after October 7. Gazans treated Mia worse than an animal — having a vet operate on her without anesthesia.”
French Surgeon Christophe Oberlin Refutes Claims That Vet Operated on Mia's Arm
Christophe Oberlin, a renowned French surgeon specializing in microsurgery and hand surgery, refuted the claim, stating they are completely unfounded.
Oberlin said that the French-Israeli captive was treated using the recent surgical techniques and recognized the signature of a top surgeon he had trained, thereby dismissing the claim that she had been operated on by a veterinarian.
Oberlin, who has played an important role in training doctors in Gaza, spoke about Schem’s treatment during a radio program, stating, “She received treatment for a fractured humerus using a high-tech external fixator valued at 2,500 euros. The quality of the intervention, including the surgical examination of the radial nerve, shows the best standards of orthopedic surgery at the Shifa Hospital. I can demonstrate this because I have been teaching techniques to Gazan surgeons, particularly in the field of orthopedic surgery, for the past 20 years.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net in December 2023, the French surgeon Christophe Oberlin said when asked a question about how he knew the surgeon who operated on the Israeli-French captive Mia Schem, he answered that he knew that the surgeon was one of his trainees based on the technique used in Mia’s surgical incision, though he could not determine the exact name of the surgeon.
Oberlin told Al Jazeera, "The fixation was performed using the best standards of medical equipment costing around 2,500 euros, underscoring the advanced level of medicine and surgery in Gaza. The World Health Organization’s monthly reports also affirm the expertise of Palestinian doctors."
Drawing from his extensive experience in treating nerve injuries, the French surgeon confirmed that the supervising surgeon on the captive made an additional incision to access the nerve and ensure it was not pinched. He expressed satisfaction that Mis Schem received treatment from one of his trainees.
Israel Uses Gaza Captives in Ruthless Propaganda Campaign
Following Al-Qassam Brigades Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the Israeli government implemented a multipronged propaganda strategy to secure unprecedented support from the U.S. and other Western governments for a large-scale war against the entire population of Gaza.
Affiliated Israeli government accounts, including Israeli officials and embassies, disseminated videos and photos to justify Israel's collective punishment of Gaza's people. For instance, Israel’s embassies in Lithuania and South Korea, as well as its consulate in Los Angeles, shared a video alleging that "there are no innocent civilians" in Gaza.
On October 21, 2023, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, stated that Israel refused two captives without any conditions from Al-Qassam.
“We informed our Qatari brothers yesterday evening that we would be releasing Nourit Yitshaq and Yokhefed Lifshitz for humanitarian reasons and without expecting anything in return. However, the Israeli occupation government refused to accept them,” Obeida said on Telegram at the time.
In a brief statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded: “We will not refer to false propaganda by Hamas. We will continue to act in every way to return all the kidnapped and missing people home.”
Later, Obeida stated that Hamas was still ready to release the two individuals “using the same procedures” involved in the release of the two previous American captives.
Misbar’s investigative team has been closely investigating Israel’s information warfare campaign, which aims to dehumanize Palestinians and flood public discourse with false and unfounded claims.
Previously, Misbar's team published a blog investigating five incidents of tactical disinformation by Israeli officials and military-affiliated accounts.
Gaza Death Toll Rises to 39,090 as Israel Continues Aggressive War
At least 84 Palestinians have been killed and 329 wounded throughout the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry, as Israeli forces launch a new ground invasion in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
Since October 7, at least 39,090 people have been killed and 90,147 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza.
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