Photo: Screenshot taken from a social media video posted on October 3, 2024 by Israeli diplomat David Sarangi, Fawzia Sido, freed from Gaza this week, meets with her relatives at an undisclosed location
A 21-year-old girl kidnapped by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq a decade ago was freed from Gaza this week in a secret operation, officials said. They said the operation, which involved Israel, the United States and Iraq, had been in the works for months, Reuters reported.
The girl is a member of the Yazidi religious minority, who live mainly in Iraq and Syria. More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed and thousands more kidnapped during the Islamic State campaign in 2014, which the United Nations has called genocide.
Iraq's foreign ministry chief of staff Silwan Sinjari told Reuters she was freed after more than four months of preparation, including several unsuccessful attempts.
The girl was identified as Fawzia Sido. Reuters was unable to contact her directly, but Iraqi officials said she was on holiday after reuniting with family in northern Iraq.
Iraqi officials had been in contact with Sido for several months and passed information about her to US officials, who arranged for her to leave Gaza with Israeli help, a person familiar with the matter said.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Iraq and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
The Israeli military said it coordinated with the US Embassy in Jerusalem and “other international actors” in the operation to free Sido.
The statement said her captor was killed during the Gaza war, presumably in an Israeli strike, and she fled to a safe house in the Palestinian enclave.
"In a complex operation coordinated by Israel, the United States and other international actors, she was recently rescued in a secret mission and taken out of the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing," the statement said.
After entering Israel, she traveled to Jordan and from there returned to her family in Iraq, the military said.
A State Department official said the United States "helped safely evacuate a young Yazidi woman from Gaza to reunite with her family in Iraq."
The official said she was abducted from her home in Iraq at age 11, trafficked and taken to Gaza. Her captor was recently killed, allowing her to escape and seek repatriation, the spokesman said.
A U.S. defense official said the U.S. military was not involved in the evacuation.
Sinjari said Sido was in good physical condition, but her captivity and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza had left her psychologically traumatized.
By Sergei Daga