A young Yazidi woman, kidnapped by ISIS at age 11 and later held captive by Hamas for nearly a decade, has been rescued by Israeli forces during a complex operation in Gaza, officials revealed Thursday.
Fawzia Amin Sido, now 21, was freed earlier this week after months of coordination involving the US and other regional forces. A video showed the emotional moment when Sido reunited with her family after returning to Iraq, where she was embraced tightly by her loved ones.
“Fawzia, a Yazidi girl kidnapped by ISIS from Iraq and brought to Gaza at just 11 years old, has finally been rescued by the Israeli security forces,” tweeted David Saranga, the director of Israel’s Digital Diplomacy Bureau. He emphasised the brutal ordeal endured by Yazidi children who ISIS abducted, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery or trained as child soldiers.
“For years, she was held captive by a Palestinian Hamas-ISIS member. She has now been reunited with her family,” Saranga said, highlighting the ongoing plight of Yazidi captives.
Sido was reported to be in good physical condition but traumatised from her decade-long captivity, according to Iraqi officials. She was initially kidnapped in 2014 during a series of ISIS attacks targeting Yazidi communities in Iraq. Shortly after, she was trafficked to Gaza, where she remained in captivity for the following ten years.
Iraqi officials confirmed they had been in contact with Sido for several months before her rescue. Her information was passed on to US authorities, prompting coordinated efforts to secure her release. However, previous attempts over the past four months were hindered by security challenges related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
The exact details of her rescue remain unclear, but a State Department spokesperson confirmed that her captor had recently been killed, which allowed Sido to seek repatriation finally. The complex operation involved Israeli forces, with assistance from Jordan and Iraq, according to officials.
Sido’s rescue adds to the ongoing efforts to free the more than 6,000 Yazidis who were captured by ISIS in 2014. While approximately 3,500 have been rescued or freed in recent years, Iraqi officials estimate that 2,600 Yazidis remain missing, with many feared dead.
