Months of negotiations, successes and setbacks culminated in the rescue of Fawzia Amin Sido, a 21-year-old Yazidi woman who was sold to a Hamas terrorist affiliated with ISIS in 2014, and freed last week from Gaza. The man behind the operation was Steve Maman, a Canadian-Moroccan Jewish businessman, known as the “Jewish Schindler,” for his efforts in rescuing more than 100 Yazidi girls from ISIS.
Fawzia's story raises questions about the potential for rescuing Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza for more than a year. Like them, Fawzia was under the control of terror groups in Gaza. She managed to survive alone for nearly a year before sending a sign of life from the enclave.
Fawzia Amin Sido reunites with her family
When Yazidis in Iraq face trouble, they know to call Maman – the man who has helped free many Yazidi captives. In an interview with Ynet, Maman explained that he is one of the few Jews the Yazidis know, and given his long history with their community they believed he was the right person to help with Gaza.
Maman described the intense months leading up to the successful rescue, involving high-level political and military contacts in Israel and the U.S., even reaching out to former President Donald Trump to pass information to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "It all started in November 2023," Maman said. "Fawzia managed to upload a TikTok video, and her family realized she was still alive." From that moment, the family knew they had to contact Maman because of his experience with the Yazidis.
In a 2015 interview, Maman said Oscar Schindler, who saved about 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust, had been a major inspiration.
“He’s a hero not just to me but to everyone,” Maman said at the time, and since then he has continued his work.
Growing up in Morocco, Maman learned about coexistence and heard stories about King Mohammed V, who is regarded as a hero among Moroccan Jews for protecting Jews during World War II. "I'm the only Jew the Yazidis know who is connected to them," Maman explained. "Their logic was that because I’m Jewish I could get her out of Gaza. I wish it had been that easy. It was the hardest rescue operation I’ve ever done. The geopolitical challenges between Iraq and Israel, two countries that don’t communicate, made it so difficult. I eventually had to divide the tasks and work with each side separately. I needed Israel to open the door for her."
Maman said they trained Fawzia for months, teaching her to familiarize herself with the area in Gaza and approach Israeli forces. "We trained her to make contact with the IDF, identify fences, and spot potential crossings," he said. Meanwhile, constant negotiations were underway with various parties to solve the complex mission. In May, Maman visited Israel after one rescue attempt had already failed and shared Fawzia’s story during a Knesset meeting.
One of the initial plans was to smuggle Fawzia into Egypt. "Israel was focused on the war. I told my team we might be able to get her through the tunnels. I also had a team on the Egyptian side ready to pick her up."
Maman explained that external intermediaries indirectly offered to pay Hamas terrorists $5,000 to allow her passage through the tunnels. “That was the price at the time to move her through the tunnels. Just as we were close to executing the plan, Egypt tightened its border control with Gaza, making it very difficult to cross. The fighting intensified, and Israel moved into the area.”
At that point, Maman realized the Egypt plan had failed, and he shifted his focus to Israel. "I said, there’s an option. I’m here now. There’s a Yazidi girl in Gaza. Let’s try to solve this diplomatically.”
One of the biggest challenges was obtaining a passport or travel documents for her. "With the help of Iraq and Jordan, I managed to get her a passport using a photo from a WhatsApp video call," Maman said. The passport was essentially a one-way travel document through the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Israel and Jordan, which is how Fawzia ultimately left Gaza.
Fawzia endured a harrowing ordeal in Gaza, with days spent wandering the streets and experiences too painful to put into words. Eventually, the gates to Israel opened for her, and from there she made her way to Iraq.
“Israel participated in the rescue,” Maman emphasized. “This story shows that the Palestinians don’t just have a problem with Jews. They have a problem with every other non-Jew, or someone who is not Muslim.. This is the proof – a Yazidi woman held hostage.”
Fawzia is now with her family in Iraq, leaving behind years of hardship in Gaza but also precious things close to her heart. Her recovery is complex, and she has been forbidden from discussing her ordeal or the details of her rescue for now. However, an official statement is expected to be released on her behalf soon.
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