Former Gaza hostage Mia Schem revealed Thursday that she is the woman who filed a complaint alleging a well-known Tel Aviv fitness trainer raped her.
In a preview for an upcoming interview with Channel 12, Schem said she could no longer remain silent.
“In captivity, in the Hamas tunnels and without a hand, I had hope,” she said. “Suddenly, I am in darkness.”
According to Schem, the alleged assault occurred about six weeks ago. She later filed a complaint with the North Tel Aviv police station. The trainer, who has a large social media following, was arrested but released last month due to a lack of sufficient evidence, police said.
Schem and the trainer knew each other beforehand—she had been one of his clients at a fitness studio in north Tel Aviv. A few days before filing the police complaint, she reportedly invited him to her apartment for help with something personal, not for a training session. The invitation came at the suggestion of a friend.
After they met, Schem reportedly contacted several friends, saying she felt disoriented and could not fully recall what had happened. However, Schem said she feared she may have been sexually assaulted.
Schem told police the trainer entered her bedroom, where the alleged assault took place, according to a report by Ynet.
The trainer initially denied entering Schem's room
During questioning, the trainer initially denied entering the room, but later changed his version of events and admitted to briefly stepping inside while Schem was changing clothes.
In a police confrontation between the two, Schem told the trainer, “I was dazed for three days because of you,” and asked him not to look at her. When he refused, an investigator instructed him to avert his gaze, Ynet added.
Schem described five signs she said supported her account—three physical marks on her body and two findings from medical tests. The trainer did not respond to these claims, instead repeating, “I’m a good person,” and at one point breaking down in tears, saying, “I have a family.”
She told investigators she continues to suffer delayed flashbacks, all of which involve the trainer.
In addition to Schem’s complaint, police have also questioned the trainer in connection with a separate allegation, as reported by Ynet.
In that case, a different young woman accused him of harassment via disappearing messages sent a year earlier. She said he sent unsolicited, sexually explicit messages.
The trainer’s attorney, Sassy Gez, denied all the allegations. “He is an innocent man with no criminal record,” Gez said. “The complainant herself said during the confrontation that she ‘thinks it happened.’ The fact that he was released without any conditions proves that no rape occurred. The case will be closed soon due to a lack of evidence.”
While police have not confirmed the identity of the complainant, they stated that the investigation is ongoing.
