Deepshikha Maan, Jadetimes Staff
D. Maan is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Israel Gaza War
Yazidi Woman Rescued After Over a Decade in Captivity
A Yazidi woman, who was abducted at the age of 11 in Iraq by the Islamic State group and later taken to Gaza, has been rescued after spending more than ten years in captivity, according to officials from Israel, the U.S., and Iraq.
The Yazidis, a religious minority primarily residing in Iraq and Syria, faced severe persecution in 2014 when the Islamic State group attacked the Yazidi community in Sinjar, resulting in mass killings and the enslavement of women and girls.
The Israeli military reported that the now 21 year old woman's captor in Gaza was killed during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, likely due to an airstrike. Following this, she managed to escape to another location within Gaza. The Israeli military stated that her rescue was part of a "complex operation" coordinated with the United States and other international entities, leading to her transfer to Iraq via Israel and Jordan.
Silwan Sinjaree, an official with the Iraqi foreign ministry, confirmed to Reuters that there had been several unsuccessful rescue attempts over the previous four months, hindered by the volatile security situation in Gaza. Sinjaree noted that although Ms. Sido was physically well, she suffered trauma from her prolonged captivity and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Canadian philanthropist Steve Maman shared a video showing Ms. Sido reuniting with her family in Iraq. In a post on social media, Maman stated, "I made a promise to Fawzia, the Yazidi who was a hostage of Hamas in Gaza, that I would bring her back home to her mother in Sinjar. It seemed surreal and impossible to her, but not to me; my only enemy was time."
The Islamic State group once controlled vast territories across Iraq and Syria, subjecting millions to its brutal rule. In August 2014, IS militants launched a campaign in the Sinjar region, leading to the mass execution of men and the abduction of women and girls. Reports from survivors detail horrifying accounts of being sold or given as gifts to IS fighters.
The UN has condemned the actions of the Islamic State group, declaring them genocide along with multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Yazidis. Iraqi officials estimate that over 3,500 members of the Yazidi community have been rescued or freed, while approximately 2,600 remain missing.
