A Yazidi woman, Fawzia Amin Sido, who had been held captive by Islamic terrorists for ten years, has been reunited with her family in Iraq following her escape and safe evacuation on October 1. Amin Sido was kidnapped by ISIS terrorists at the age of 11 and sold and trafficked to Gaza, where she was forced to marry an alleged Hamas fighter. She was able to escape after her captor was killed in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strike, which allowed her to flee to a “hideout” within the Gaza Strip. A complex rescue operation involving Israel, the United States, and other international actors enabled her escape through the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Israel and eventually back to her family in Iraq.
The operation was led by the IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories unit with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Israel and other international actors. A spokesperson for the State Department expressed relief that Amin Sido would be reunited with her family and highlighted the ongoing efforts to find and rescue the thousands of other Yazidis who remain missing and unaccounted for. The coordinated efforts in Amin Sido’s case also revealed the connection between Hamas and ISIS, demonstrating a concerning trend of extremist groups in the Middle East forming alliances.
ISIS launched a devastating attack on Yazidi populations in Sinjar, Iraq in August 2014, resulting in the abduction of 6,400 people and the killing of 1,200 others. Over half of the abductees have managed to escape or have been freed. The increasing ties between ISIS and other terrorist organizations like Hamas point to a shift in the Middle East, where extremist groups are expanding their alliances, often with the support of Iran. The IDF has vowed to continue countering the “Hamas-ISIS terrorist organization” by targeting terrorist infrastructure and working to free all hostages in Hamas captivity.
There are still 101 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including seven Americans who were taken during attacks in 2023, as well as others abducted in previous years. This number does not include additional Yazidi abductees mentioned by Secretary Blinken who may also be in captivity in Gaza. The ongoing efforts to locate and rescue these hostages underscore the continued threat posed by terrorist groups in the region and the desperate plight of those who remain captive. The rescue and reunion of Amin Sido with her family serve as a glimmer of hope amidst the suffering and turmoil experienced by many in conflict-ridden areas.
