Iraqi woman held captive in Gaza freed by Israeli forces
Israeli forces have rescued an Iraqi woman who was kidnapped 10 years ago by so-called Islamic State before being held captive in Gaza.
Fawzia Amin Sido, 21, arrived back in Iraq on Wednesday, Iraqi authorities said.
Israel’s military said on Thursday that the woman was freed in a rescue operation earlier this week that was coordinated with the United States.
Islamic State militants enslaved and killed thousands from the Yazidi religious minority as they seized much of northern Iraq and eastern Syria in 2014.
According to the Israeli army, Ms Sido was abducted by the IS when she was 11 and at some point was trafficked to a Palestinian and brought to Gaza.
The military said the Palestinian belonged to Hamas and was killed, apparently by an air strike.
A spokesperson said Ms Sido was taken through the Kerem Shalom border, which connects Gaza with Israel.
From there she travelled to Jordan and then to Iraq, where she was reunited with family members.
The Iraqi government said only that she was freed “in one of the countries of the region”.