A young hostage, who was abducted by ISIS terrorists at the age of 11 and later held by Hamas for a decade, has been rescued by Israeli forces in Gaza after a months-long operation led by the U.S., officials announced on Thursday.
Fawzia Amin Sido, 21, was rescued earlier this week, with video capturing the emotional moment her family warmly embraced her after she returned to her homeland, Iraq. “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 the digital diplomacy bureau at Israel’s foreign ministry.
Freed from Hamas Captivity
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“For years, she was held captive by a Palestinian Hamas-ISIS member. She has now been reunited with her family.
“Her story is a reminder of the brutality faced by Yazidi children, taken without a choice,” he wrote of the more than 6,000 Yazidis captured by ISIS in 2014, including many sold into sexual slavery or trained as child soldiers.
The rescued hostage was in good physical health but deeply traumatized by her long period in captivity, according to Iraqi officials.
Sido was abducted from her home in 2014 when Islamic State militants were launching terror attacks on Yazidi communities across Iraq. She was soon sold and trafficked to Gaza, where she remained in captivity for the next 10 years.
Iraqi officials had been in contact with her for several months prior to this week’s rescue operation and had shared her information with U.S. officials, sources informed Reuters.
Rescued after Long Struggle
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Several previous attempts to rescue Sido over the last four months were unsuccessful due to ongoing security threats stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, Iraqi officials said.
It remains unclear exactly how her release was secured.
A State Department spokesperson said only that Sido’s captor had recently been killed, which enabled her to seek repatriation.
According to officials, the rescue operation also included cooperation from Israel, Jordan, and Iraq.
Of the more than 6,000 Yazidis taken captive by ISIS in Iraq in 2014, around 3,500 have been rescued or freed over the years.
However, Iraqi officials estimate that around 2,600 are still unaccounted for, with many feared dead.
