In a recent development, Israeli forces successfully extract a captive Yazidi individual from the Gaza Strip.
Around a decade past, a young Ezidi girl was taken by the brutal clutches of IS extremists and suffered numerous years of mistreatment. fortunately, she has successfully escaped the Gaza Strip and arrived in Israel. At 21 years old, she had previously obtained a mobile device and shared her ordeal digitally.
As per Israeli sources, the girl was captured by IS in Iraq at the tender age of 11, and later kept under the watch of a Palestinian in the Gaza Strip. She was subsequently reunited with her family.
Israeli reports and footage shared by David Saranga, head of the digital department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, showed the girl embracing her loved ones upon her return. The rescue operation was led by COGAT, an Israeli agency responsible for Palestinian affairs, in cooperation with the US Embassy in Israel. The Hamas terrorist who had been keeping her hostage was reportedly eliminated during an Israeli strike. He was believed to have links with IS. The girl then hid in the Gaza Strip before being smuggled over the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Israel, continuing through the West Bank to Jordan, and finally returning home to Iraq.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the rescue of the 21-year-old girl, which took place following over four months of extensive efforts. This collaborative operation involved close cooperation between US embassies in Baghdad and Amman, along with Jordanian authorities. The girl was allegedly transported through multiple countries prior to her rescue.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry refrained from providing additional information or mentioning Israel's role in the affair. Iraq maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel, and Iraqis are barred from interacting with Israelis. According to Israeli media, the intricate and time-consuming procedures required for the young woman to depart the Gaza Strip and continue her journey back to Iraq were quite involved.
The fate of her children remains uncertain
In September, the Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" published a story about the girl. She had reportedly been forced into marriage with a Palestinian IS fighter, who also had ties to Hamas, in the Syrian city of Raqqa. During her years in captivity, she was reportedly subjected to sexual abuse. Her husband is said to have passed away. The girl was held captive in her husband's family home until he was killed in an Israeli air strike.
Following her escape, she secured a mobile device and shared her tale online. Efforts to organize her escape have been ongoing since then. It was initially unclear what had happened to her children, but the newspaper reported that she has two offspring. In August 2014, IS attacked the Sinjar region and abducted numerous Ezidi women to serve as sex slaves. Although the Iraqi government has claimed victory over IS, activists maintain that many women remain missing.
The girl had been kept under the watch of a Palestinian in the Gaza Strip, where she hid before being smuggled out. Despite her successful escape and return to Iraq, the fate of her children remains uncertain.
