Yazidi Woman Freed From Gaza After 10-Year Captivity

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Facts

  • After being abducted by the Islamic State (IS) ten years ago at the age of 11, a 21-year-old woman of the Yazidi religious minority group was freed from Gaza this week following a secret joint rescue mission conducted by the US, Israeli, and Iraqi governments.[1]
  • The woman, Fawzia Sido, was kidnapped after IS took control of large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, killing 1.2K Kurdish-speaking Yazidis and enslaving thousands of women and girls—some were sold as sex slaves and others as child soldiers.[2]
  • Sido was allegedly trafficked into Gaza by a Palestinian member of Hamas. She was in contact with Iraqi officials for months and fled to a hiding spot in the Gaza Strip after the man was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike.[3][4]
  • The US, which coordinated with Iraq because Iraq has no diplomatic ties with Israel, then coordinated with several countries, including Jordan. Israel said she was rescued through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel and then through the Allenby Bridge Crossing to her family in Iraq.[5][2]
  • An Israeli general who leads the military's humanitarian efforts said Sido had received food and basic medical treatment but that she had also endured trauma from sexual abuse. An Iraqi official added that she was in good physical condition.[5][3]
  • The IS campaign in 2014, which the US designated a genocide, reportedly led to 6K Yazidis being taken captive, with many brought to other countries, including Syria and Turkey, and an estimated 400K displaced. Around 3.5K have reportedly been rescued, though 2.6K are reportedly still missing.[1][5]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]Sky News, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]FOX News and [5]New York Times.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. This hostage rescue is the clearest example of Western values and ambitions. As war rages in Gaza, the governments of the US, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan came together to save an innocent life. While groups like IS and Hamas seek to terrorize and destroy, Israel and its allies push for a safer, more peaceful Middle East for everyone in the region. As many others remain captive in Gaza, hopefully, these governments will achieve freedom for each one of them.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Jacobin and Intercept. The US and Israel are not the saviors of the Kurdish people. It was essentially Pres. George W. Bush who created IS, as he's the one who invaded Iraq, destabilized the country, and disbanded the Iraqi army, forcing half a million men into the hands of radical groups. And Israel, which relies heavily on Turkish oil, has allowed Turkey to commit genocide against the Kurds for years. None of these atrocities would've occurred if it weren't for the US-Israel war machine.