A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by ISIS as a child before being trafficked to Hamas in Gaza has been rescued and reunited with her family after a decade in captivity, officials said today.
Fawzia Amin Sido was just 11-years-old when she was reportedly forced to marry a Palestinian ISIS fighter and lured into Gaza.
After years of isolation from her family, the Iraqi woman, who is now 21, escaped Gaza and returned home this week to an emotional welcome from her loved ones, according to reports.
Sharing news of her release, Israel’s Defence Forces said her captor was ‘presumably killed during IDF strikes’.
This allowed Fawzia to flee to a hideout, they said, where she was rescued in a secret mission by Israeli special operatives and international partners.
Fawzia Amin Sido is seen in a picture shared by Iraqi authorities after she was returned home
Video has been shared which appears to show Fawzia being reunited with her family after her escape
The young woman is seen hugging loved ones after reportedly spending a decade in captivity
Canadian Jewish philanthropist Steve Maman shared a heartwarming video which he said showed Fawzia reuniting with her family
‘The young girl was extracted from the Gaza Strip in recent days in a secret operation through the Kerem Shalom crossing,’ the IDF said in a statement.
‘After crossing into Israel, she was taken to Jordan via the Allenby Crossing and then on to her family in Iraq.’
Canadian Jewish philanthropist Steve Maman, dubbed by some as the ‘Jewish Schindler’ due to his efforts to rescue Yazidis from ISIS captivity, shared a heartwarming video which he said showed Fawzia reuniting with her family.
Sharing the news on Wednesday night, he said he had been involved in her rescue and described it as ‘the most difficult’ he had ever taken part in.
‘I made a promise to Fawzia the Yazidi who was hostage of Hamas in Gaza that I would bring her back home to her mother in Sinjar,’ Maman wrote on X.
‘To her, it seemed surreal and impossible but not to me, my only enemy was time. Our team reunited her moments ago with her mother and family in Sinjar.’
Fawzia’s rescue is said to have been achieved after several failed attempts, as well as years of diplomatic discussions and planning.
Maman said in a conversation with The Jewish Post: ‘I must thank the US government, my contacts in the US, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel.
Steve Maman shared a picture of himself speaking to Fawzia after he said he was involved in her rescue
‘I also want to thank Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden and the US administration, the UN, who helped by sending a secured ambulance, and everyone else who was involved in this operation.’
Iraq’s foreign ministry announced the news that Fawzia had been released in a statement, which said the operation had been carried out ‘in high coordination’ with the US embassies in Baghdad and Amman, as well as with Jordanian authorities.
The statement said her rescue had taken four months of work, and made no mention of Israeli involvement.
Maman said while Fawzia’s release ‘is a happy occasion’ work continues to ensure the release of many, including more than 100 Israeli hostages, still in the Gaza Strip.
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