FDD Flash Brief | Oct 3, 2024
Latest Developments
Israeli forces enabled the escape from Gaza of a Yazidi woman who had been brought there as a sex slave from Iraq, the Israeli military revealed on October 3.
Fawzia Amin Sido was 11 years old when she was abducted from the Iraqi town Sinjar a decade ago during the ISIS genocide against the Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking religious minority group. She was taken to the Palestinian enclave by an ISIS-affiliated Hamas member. According to The Jerusalem Post, which first reported on her case, she was kept as his “bride,” facing regular abuses from his family.
According to a statement by the Israeli military, Sido escaped when her captor was killed during the recent fighting in Gaza. In coordination with the United States, Israeli forces brought her out through the Kerem Shalom border crossing and then transferred her to Jordan, from where she traveled back to her relatives in Iraq.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged Sido’s return, mentioning the role played by Jordan and the United States — but not Israel or Gaza. U.S. officials confirmed that she had escaped from Gaza, saying she was in good physical condition but traumatized.
Expert Analysis
“Sometime in 2014, a Palestinian terrorist with both Hamas and ISIS ties turned up back in the Gaza Strip with an underaged sex slave who would have looked and sounded foreign to anyone bothering to take an interest. And yet she would spend another decade being raped and tortured, unsure of her the condition of her family on the other side of the Middle East or of her prospects of ever seeing them gain. The cruelty of this case says much about the brutal reality of life under the Hamas regime and the dedication of the Israel government and military to save her.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO
“During Hamas’s reign in Gaza, the terror regime established a vast smuggling operation that not only enabled the terrorists to build an impressive military arsenal but also allowed for unchecked human trafficking. This underscores the importance of Israel ensuring that the smuggling routes in and out of Gaza remain sealed until a credible inspections regime can be enforced.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network
“Israeli forces in Rafah report discovering numerous tunnels and significant terrorist infrastructure,” by Seth J. Frantzman
“IDF division eliminates 200 terrorists in the Rafah area,” by Seth J. Frantzman
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