Israel sends humanitarian aid & medicine to Druze in southern Syria as cautious calm returns

Israel supplied the Druze community in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda (Suweida) with shipments of humanitarian aid and medical supplies in an overnight operation, Kan News reported on Sunday.

The report followed an announcement by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said he ordered the sending of an aid package “valued at 2 million shekels,” which included “food packages, medical equipment, first aid kits, and medications.”

“The assistance will be specifically directed to the Druze areas in the Sweida Governorate, which were directly affected by the violent attacks against the Druze. This aid joins a previous humanitarian package sent by the Foreign Ministry to the Druze in Syria last March,” Sa’ar stated.

The transfer was coordinated with the U.S., which informed the Syrian government. Israeli sources told Kan that efforts are underway to send additional humanitarian aid to the area.

The town of Suwayda and its surrounding areas are called Jabal al-Druze (the Druze Mountain) due to their majority-Druze population, and are located some 80 kilometers from the Israeli Golan Heights.

I24 News reported that four Israeli Air Force helicopters conducted the operation.

The shipment of medicine was particularly urgent as the city’s main hospital was significantly damaged during the recent fighting, which, according to the latest tally by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, killed over 1,000 people.

Health Minister Uriel Buso of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party even convened an urgent meeting on the aid transfer during the Jewish Sabbath.

“Our brotherhood with the Druze community is well known, but beyond that, we are committed to a ‘covenant of life.’ We cannot stand idly by when members of the community – inside or outside Israel – are in danger,” Buso said.

“This initiative reflects the values that guide Israel’s healthcare system and our longstanding alliance with the Druze community,” Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov added. “Providing medical assistance to the injured is a moral obligation.”

Kan News’ report also noted that Jordan did not respond to calls from the Syrian Druze community to open a humanitarian corridor along its nearby northern border.

Fighting died down on Sunday after almost a full week of attacks on the Druze stronghold.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack wrote on 𝕏 that "As of 17:00 Damascus time, all parties have navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities. The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process."

Multiple sources confirmed that the attacks on Suwayda had ended early Sunday, as government forces blocked roads leading to the town and the Bedouin tribal fighters left the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights updated late on Sunday its casualty toll to 1,120 killed.

These were said to include 427 Druze fighters and 298 Druze civilians, many of whom were summarily executed, as well as 354 government troops and 21 Bedouin tribesmen.

The interior ministry said overnight that Suwayda city was “evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city’s neighborhoods were halted.”

A spokesman for Syria’s tribal and clan council confirmed to Al Jazeera that fighters had left the city “in response to the call of the presidency and the terms of the agreement.”

The French AFP also cited medical personnel in Suwayda, who said that calm had returned to the city.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid began to arrive from other sources as well. Syrian media reported that an aid convoy arrived on Sunday, “in coordination with the government bodies and the local authorities in Suwayda.”

However, the convoy was reportedly stopped by forces loyal to the Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri, who refused to allow a delegation of government officials to accompany the convoy.

The Druze community has accused government troops, many of whom were members of Islamist terror groups until months ago, of joining the Bedouin tribesmen in their attacks on the Druze and committing numerous atrocities.

The faction led by al-Hijri, which has also advocated for Israel’s intervention, said in a statement that all humanitarian assistance would be welcomed but demanded it should come exclusively from international organizations “extending a helping hand to our people during this difficult ordeal.”

The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria also said on Sunday that it had completed preparations for an aid convoy destined for Suwayda.

The convoy reportedly remains on standby until a safe passage through the country can be secured, with the goal of reaching Suwayda within the week.