IDF Rescues Yazidi Girl Kidnapped by ISIS in Gaza

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fighting Hamas in Gaza were last week able to rescue a Yazidi woman who was abducted by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists in Iraq in 2014 and sold to a Palestinian who forced her to marry him, Ynet News reports.

Fawzia Amin Sido was 11 years old when she was abducted from her home in Iraq and taken first to Syria. Once in Syria, she was sold to the Palestinian ISIS supporter who took her to Gaza and forced her to bear his children while holding her captive, Ynet said.

Sido’s rescue was the result of a complex political and diplomatic negotiation involving Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the US, Iraq, and Jordan.

In a statement, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Sido’s release on October 3 was secured “via a joint effort with the international intelligence service … in close collaboration with the US embassies in Baghdad and Amman, as well as Jordanian authorities, after over four months of efforts and monitoring.”

Notably, Iraq’s statement made no mention of Israel’s involvement in the rescue operation, or of the fact that Sido had been held captive in Gaza.
In a separate statement announcing Sido’s release, Israeli Foreign Ministry’s digital diplomacy division head David Saranga said: “Fauzia was held captive by a Palestinian Hamas-ISIS member for years. Now, she has reunited with her family. Her story is a reminder of the cruelty faced by Yazidi children who were taken by force. Some 101 Israelis are still held hostage in Gaza.”

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