Yazidi Girl Kidnapped by ISIS Rescued by Israeli Forces After a Decade in Captivity

In a remarkable rescue mission, Israeli forces working in coordination with the United States rescued Fawzia Amin Sido, a 21-year-old Yazidi woman, who had been kidnapped by ISIS a decade ago at the age of 11. Sido, who was taken from her family in Iraq by ISIS terrorists in 2014, had been held hostage by a Hamas-ISIS affiliate in Gaza. After years of captivity, she has finally been reunited with her family in northern Iraq.

The harrowing story highlights the brutal connection between Hamas and ISIS, both organizations notorious for their disregard for human life. According to David Saranga of Israel’s foreign ministry, Sido was one of thousands of Yazidis kidnapped during ISIS’s reign of terror in Iraq. In 2014 alone, more than 6,000 Yazidis were abducted, many of them women and girls sold into sexual slavery.

Sido’s rescue was possible due to a complex operation that involved Israeli military forces, U.S. intelligence, and other international actors. The Hamas-linked terrorist holding her hostage was killed in an Israeli airstrike, opening a window of opportunity for her escape. The IDF noted that this case provides undeniable evidence of the operational ties between Hamas and ISIS, two groups that have terrorized the region for years.

• Over 101 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, held by Hamas militants.

• At least 4 Americans are also believed to still be alive in Hamas captivity.

• In the 2014 ISIS offensive, more than 6,000 Yazidis were kidnapped, with thousands of women trafficked across regions.

This successful operation further emphasizes the brutality of both ISIS and Hamas, whose leaders use civilians and hostages as human shields in their conflict with Israel. The operation took place amid ongoing violence in Gaza, as the war nears its one-year mark following Hamas’s bloody attack on Israel in October 2023, which left over 1,200 dead and hundreds abducted.

The rescue of Sido is a powerful reminder of the atrocities inflicted by these terrorist organizations and the need for continued global cooperation in fighting terrorism and rescuing the innocent victims caught in their crossfire.

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