Official announcements from involved governments or international news coverage

Israeli Forces Rescue 21-Year-Old Fawzia Amin Sido from Gaza After Decade of Captivity

Oct 3, 2024, 04:00 PM

Israeli security forces, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Israel and other international actors, have successfully rescued Fawzia Amin Sido, a 21-year-old Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by ISIS from Iraq in 2014 at the age of 11. Fawzia was trafficked to Gaza and held captive for over a decade by a Hamas-affiliated ISIS terrorist. The operation, which involved Israel, the U.S., Jordan, and Iraq, culminated in Fawzia's return to her family in Sinjar, Iraq. Fawzia had been enslaved and subjected to severe abuse during her captivity, giving birth to two children. The rescue mission highlights ongoing efforts to liberate Yazidi women and girls who remain missing or in captivity. The Sinjar massacre in 2014 saw 12,000 Yazidis murdered by ISIS. The mission was organized by Jewish-Israeli-Canadian philanthropist Steve Maman, often referred to as the 'Jewish Schindler.'