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Revision as of 08:16, 4 October 2024 by Galamore (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Fawzia Amin Sido (b. 2002/2003) is a Yazidi woman from northern Iraq who was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) as a 11-year-old child during the Yazidi genocide in 2014. She was held in captivity for a decade. Initially she was forcibly married to a Palestinian ISIS militant in Syria, who sexually abused her, resulting in having two children in a very young age. After his death, she was lured to join his family in Gaza, where she was abused. In 2024, she was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza after her captor, a Palestinian militant, was possilby killed in an Israeli airstrike. She was returned home to her family in Iraq through a multi-national operation that also involved the United States and Jordan.
Early Life and Captivity
Fawzia Amin Sido was abducted at the age of 11 when ISIS overran the Sinjar District in Iraq during the group's genocide against the Yazidis. The genocide, which the United Nations has officially recognized, resulted in the killing of up to 10,000 Yazidis and the displacement of over 400,000. More than 6,000 Yazidis, including women and children, were enslaved by ISIS. In various Yazidi villages, men and boys over 14 were separated from women and girls, with the men being executed and the women abducted as "spoils of war." Some escaped Yazidi girls and women later reported being sold or given as "gifts" into sexual slavery to ISIS members.
After her abduction, Sido was coerced into marrying a Palestinian man reportedly affiliated with Hamas in Raqqa, Syria. Since her kidnapping, her family has had little communication with her. During her captivity, she faced continuous sexual and physical abuse, becoming pregnant and giving birth to two children at a young age. After moving between villages along the Iraq–Syria border, her husband was reported dead.
After her husband’s death, Sido was lured by his family in Gaza to join them. She and her children undertook a four-year journey through Turkey and Egypt, eventually arriving in the Gaza Strip around 2020. Once there, she faced significant hardship at the hands of her husband's family. Isolated from her own family, community, and native language, she experienced profound distress while caring for her two young children in her new environment.
Rescue Operation
Steve Maman, a Canadian businessman known for his efforts to rescue Yazidis from ISIS, told The Jerusalem Post in September 2024 that Fawzia Amin Sido managed to escape her captors in late 2023 after a Hamas fighter holding her was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. With access to a cell phone, Sido recorded a TikTok video detailing her plight, which garnered attention from Rudaw News, a Kurmanji-speaking media outlet that subsequently assisted in locating her estranged family. Maman facilitated communication between her family and Israeli authorities, urging swift action from the Israeli National Security Council to orchestrate Sido's rescue and reunite her with her loved ones. Utilizing his network, he arranged for a safe haven for Sido near Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions.
In a conversation with The Jerusalem Post, Sido expressed the gravity of her circumstances: "My situation is very bad. The situation here is grave in many ways. I need to find a way to get out of here as fast as possible. I want to get back to my family." She reported enduring severe abuse from both her husband's family and Hamas authorities, leading to multiple suicide attempts and a month of forced hospitalization. Despite feeling marginally safer in her current location, she conveyed her despair, questioning the purpose of sharing her story, stating, "Is there any benefit in me talking to you about my life, or is it just tiring me out? Because many have asked me and I told them everything, but unfortunately to no avail."
On October 3, 2024, reports confirmed Sido's release from Gaza following an Israeli-led operation. Israeli intelligence had uncovered her situation, prompting engagement with U.S. authorities for further assistance. An IDF report indicated that the operation involved coordination between the IDF's COGAT, the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and other members of the international community. Sido was transported to Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where she received essential food and medical care before being escorted by US officials to Jordan via the Allenby crossing. Ultimately, she was reunited with her family in Iraq.
After her rescue, Brig. Gen. Elad Goren, who oversees Israeli humanitarian efforts in Gaza, remarked that Sido appeared to be "more or less" physically well but was "not in a good mental situation" after years of abuse. A similar report was provided by Silwan Sinjaree, an official from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
See also
References
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- ^ Livni, Ephrat (2024-10-03). "Yazidi Woman Taken Captive by ISIS Has Been Rescued in Gaza, Israel Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "Kidnapped Yazidi woman stuck in Gaza for years yearns to be set free". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- "Free at last: Yazidi woman held in Gaza finally leaves enclave". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "Yazidi woman rescued from Gaza after decade in captivity". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "Israel rescues Yazidi woman from Gaza after her kidnapping by ISIS at age 11". Times of Israel. 2024-10-03.