Palestinian cleric Majdi Makhlouf traveled to Syria, where he joined ISIS, stranding his four daughters in the war-torn “oven of hell.”
By United with Israel Staff
Four sisters from the Makhlouf family were recently returned to their home in Shechem (Nablus) after a harrowing journey to Syria and back, TPS reported.
In 2014, their father, cleric Majdi Makhlouf, traveled to Turkey, ostensibly so that his wife could receive treatment for kidney disease. While in Turkey, Makhlouf crossed into Syria with his wife and daughters.
In Syria, Makhlouf joined the Islamic State terror group, after which he added a Syrian wife to his clan, reported TPS‘ Palestinian affairs specialist Baruch Yedid.
While Makhlouf’s original wife decided to return to Turkey, the four girls stayed in Syria. Their father tried to quit ISIS after a few months and was promptly arrested by the Free Syrian Army and chucked into prison, where he continues to languish.
“The four daughters and their stepmother moved between the towns of Raqqa, Tabaka and Abu Kamal, and in the past year settled in Azzaz, close to their father,” reported TPS.
This weekend, the girls were finally returned to Shechem, with assistance from Turkey and Palestinian intelligence.
A publicist for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised the operation, “which brought home four flowers taken out of the oven of hell.”