A young Yazidi girl, who was kidnapped from her home in Iraq by ISIS in 2014 when she was only 11 years old, was recently rescued from the Gaza Strip in a complex operation that included cooperation between Israeli and international agencies.
The story of the young woman, identified only as “M.”, was first revealed on September 3 in the “Jerusalem Post” newspaper. She was kidnapped from her home in Sinjar in northwestern Iraq, forced to marry a Palestinian ISIS fighter, and then brought to Gaza. There she was tortured by her husband’s family and was trapped away from her family for years.
After complex bureaucratic and diplomatic procedures and several failed attempts, M. finally managed to get out of the Gaza Strip. The one who led the rescue efforts was Steve Maman, a Jewish-Canadian businessman known as the “Jewish Schindler” due to his actions to rescue thousands of Yazidis from ISIS captivity. Maman described the operation as “the most complicated rescue I have participated in”, and emphasized the importance of helping every person, regardless of their religion or origin.
The operation included coordination between the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF forces and the Shin Bet, after receiving information about M.’s location and the fact that the man who controlled it was killed by IDF bombings. Maman expressed his gratitude to the American government, his contacts in various countries, Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Biden and the United Nations for helping to send a secure ambulance.
An official at the Israeli Foreign Ministry said: “Her story reminds us of the cruelty faced by Yazidi children, who were kidnapped without a choice. As I recall, 101 Israelis are still being held hostage in Gaza.” Maman concluded: “This is a happy event, but I cannot celebrate wholeheartedly because I still have over 100 brothers and sisters sitting in difficult situations in Gaza, and I will continue to work for their return in any way possible.”
According to estimates, over 100 Yazidi and other girls were sold to Hamas in Gaza, where they were forced to marry and become pregnant. These kidnappings helped ISIS finance its operations, including terrorist operations. There are reports of Yazidi girls who were also sold to men in the territories of the Palestinian Authority, and there is an international effort to locate and rescue them.
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