A 21-year-old Yazidi woman kidnapped by Islamic State militants in
Iraq was freed from Gaza this week in a clandestine operation involving Isarel, the United States and Iraq, said the officials.
The woman identified as Fawzia Sido was kidnapped a decade ago when she was 11-years-old and was reunited with her family in northern Iraq after a four-month long operation, Silwan Sinjaree, chief of staff of Iraq's foreign minister, told Reuters.
Yazidi religious community is mostly found in Iraq and Syria which witnessed more than 5,000 members killed and thousands more kidnapped in an IS campaign in 2014 that the UN has termed genocide.
Iraqi officials have been in contact with her for months and passed on her information to US officials, who managed her exit from Gaza with assistance of Israel, as per source. Notably, Iraq and Israel do not have any diplomatic ties.
In order to free Sido, the Israeli military said it had coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and "other international actors.
Sido escaped to a hideout inside Gaza strip after her captor was killed during Gaza war, presumably by Israeli strike, as per statement.
She continued on to Jordan through the Allenby Bridge Crossing and from there returned to her family in Iraq, as per military.
A young Yezidi woman who was kidnapped and trafficked to Gaza has been safely evacuated and reunited with her family in Iraq, according to a State Department spokesperson.
The woman was taken from her home in Iraq when she was 11 years old and was later sold and trafficked to Gaza. Her captor was recently killed, which allowed her to escape and seek repatriation.
A State Department spokesperson stated, "The United States on Tuesday helped to safely evacuate from Gaza a young Yezidi woman to be reunited with her family in Iraq."
A U.S. defense official confirmed that the American military did not participate in the evacuation.
Sinjaree said that the woman was recovering after being held captive by Islamic State militants. She is in good health, her time in captivity and the harsh conditions in Gaza have left her deeply traumatized, said
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani played a key role in her release. His adviser for Yazidi affairs, Khalaf Sinjar, confirmed that al-Sudani discussed the matter with U.S. officials at the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month.
In 2014, more than 6,000 Yazidis, including Sinjaree, were captured by Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Many were subjected to sexual slavery or forced to become child soldiers and were taken to places such as Turkey and Syria.
To date, over 3,500 Yazidis have been rescued or freed, according to Iraqi authorities. However, around 2,600 remain missing. Although some are feared dead, Yazidi activists believe several hundred may still be alive.