Yazidi Woman Freed After a Decade in ISIL Captivity Rescued from Gaza

A 21-year-old Yazidi woman, who had been kidnapped by ISIL (ISIS) militants in Iraq in 2014, was rescued from Gaza this week in a complex and secretive operation.

The mission, which involved coordinated efforts between Israel, the United States, Iraq, and Jordan, successfully brought the woman home to her family in Iraq after more than a decade in captivity.

The woman, identified as Fawzia Amin Sido, was abducted at the age of 11 when ISIL launched a brutal attack on the Yazidi community in Iraq’s Sinjar district. The Yazidis, a religious minority whose faith is rooted in Zoroastrianism, faced a devastating genocide at the hands of ISIL, with thousands of men killed and many women and girls taken as slaves. Sido was among the many women trafficked and eventually ended up in Gaza.

The rescue mission was particularly challenging due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Over four months of attempts to free her were initially unsuccessful because of the security situation, according to Iraqi foreign ministry official Silwan Sinjaree. However, after her captor in Gaza was reportedly killed, likely in an airstrike, Sido managed to escape and was eventually rescued by international partners.

Israel’s military confirmed that Sido was taken through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel, then transferred to Jordan via the Allenby Bridge before being reunited with her family in Iraq. The US government also played a role in her safe evacuation. A US State Department spokesperson said that the US had worked with multiple partners to ensure her return, though the US military did not directly participate in the operation.

While Sido is reported to be in good physical condition, her time in captivity and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza have left her deeply traumatized. Her family, who had been in contact with her for months before her rescue, expressed relief at her return.

The Yazidi community continues to grapple with the aftereffects of ISIL’s 2014 genocide. The United Nations has recognized ISIL’s actions as genocide, with over 3,500 Yazidis rescued or freed so far, while around 2,600 remain missing.

Al Jazeera and BBC contributed to this report.