Yazidi Survivor of ISIS Kidnapping in Iraq Freed from Gaza After 10 Years – See Video

A 21-year-old Yazidi woman, who was kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq more than a decade ago, has been freed from Gaza in a coordinated operation involving the United States, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan. The woman, named Fauzia Sido, is from the Yazidi religious minority, which has faced brutal attacks from ISIS. In 2014, at least 5,000 Yazidis were killed, and thousands more were kidnapped by the jihadist group in what the United Nations has called a “genocide.”

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚, 𝐚 𝟐𝟏-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐝𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫… https://t.co/zDDFgjrNAv pic.twitter.com/5e2zkqgvcI

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 3, 2024

Fauzia had been held captive since she was 11 years old after being kidnapped in Iraq and later sold and transported to Gaza. According to Iraq’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Siluan Sinjari, multiple attempts had been made over the past four months to rescue her, but they were unsuccessful due to ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip. However, a recent breakthrough allowed her release, with the U.S. and its allies leading the effort.

בפעילות שתואמה על ידי צה״ל בהובלת המתפ״ש עם השגרירות האמריקאית בישראל וגורמים נוספים בקהילה הבינלאומית, פאוזיה אמין סידו – צעירה כבת 21 ממוצא יזידי, שוחררה השבוע חזרה לביתה בעיראק. לפני כעשור, כשהיתה בת 11 בלבד>> pic.twitter.com/x7qdhjqEKA

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 3, 2024

Iraqi officials had been in contact with Fauzia for several months, and they passed critical information to American authorities, who arranged for her safe extraction. While details of the operation have not been fully disclosed, it involved cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and Iraq. Israeli security forces played a significant role in rescuing Fauzia, as confirmed by David Saranga, the director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s digital diplomacy office.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department explained that Fauzia’s captor was recently killed, enabling her to escape and seek help for repatriation. On October 1, the U.S. facilitated her safe return to Iraq, where she has now been reunited with her family in northern Iraq. While she is in good physical health, her mental state has been deeply affected by years of captivity and the harsh conditions she endured.

The plight of the Yazidis remains a significant humanitarian issue. In 2014, over 6,000 Yazidis were captured by ISIS in Iraq’s Sinjar region. Many were sold into slavery, used as child soldiers, or taken to other countries like Syria and Turkey. Although 3,500 have since been rescued, 2,600 remain missing, with activists fearing many were killed, but holding hope that hundreds may still be alive.

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