Yazidi Woman Rescued in Gaza After Years in Captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman, Fawzia Amin Sido, who was kidnapped by ISIS at the age of 11 and held captive for over a decade, has been rescued from Gaza. She was reunited with her family in Iraq after a complex rescue operation involving Israeli, U.S., Jordanian, and other international authorities.
Sido was initially abducted during ISIS’s assault on northern Iraq in 2014. She was sold to a Hamas member, who transported her to Gaza, where she suffered years of sexual and physical abuse.
The rescue mission was led by the Israeli Defense Forces in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Israel and other international partners. Fawzia escaped from her captor’s family after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike and sought refuge in a safe house near IDF forces. She was then extracted from Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing and transported to Jordan before being reunited with her family in Iraq.
Fawzia’s mental state is concerning due to the extensive trauma she endured, including instances of sexual violence and mistreatment. She received food and basic medical care upon her arrival in Israel before being transported to her family in Iraq.
