(JNS) Israel delivered a significant shipment of humanitarian aid to the Druze community in Syria’s Sweida district overnight Sunday, following urgent appeals for assistance amid ongoing violence in the region, according to Kan News.
The aid shipment, which included critical medical equipment, was transferred into Syrian territory after close coordination with American officials. The United States subsequently informed Syrian authorities of the operation, Kan News reported.
This action followed a decision by top Israeli government officials during an emergency meeting on Saturday night.
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The medical supplies were sent after the community’s local hospital was destroyed in recent fighting. The urgent need prompted Israeli Health Minister Uriel Bosso to convene a special discussion during Shabbat to address the delivery of aid and consider further assistance to the area.
Israel is actively preparing to send additional shipments of humanitarian aid to the region in the coming days as a fragile ceasefire takes hold after a week of intense sectarian clashes between Druze factions, Bedouin fighters and Syrian government forces.
As of Monday, updated reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimate that 1,120 people have been killed in southern Syria—primarily in Sweida Province.
Among the dead are 427 Druze fighters and 298 Druze civilians. According to rights monitors, at least 194 Druze civilians were executed without trial by forces affiliated with Syria’s Interior and Defense ministries. Government-aligned troops have also suffered major losses, with around 354 personnel killed in ongoing clashes across the region.
Meanwhile, fighting involving Sunni Bedouin groups has left at least 21 of their fighters dead, along with three Bedouin civilians reportedly executed by Druze militias. Israeli airstrikes, aimed at halting regime advances and weakening paramilitary positions, also killed at least 15 Syrian soldiers last week.
On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced an emergency aid package valued at 2 million shekels ($594,000) specifically for the Druze in Sweida. The package will include food parcels, medical equipment, first aid kits and medicines.
The funds will come from the Foreign Ministry’s budget and will be directed specifically to Druze areas directly affected by recent violent attacks. This latest allocation follows a previous aid package sent by the Foreign Ministry to Druze communities in Syria in March.
Despite repeated calls from the Druze in Israel and Syria, Jordan has so far declined requests to open a humanitarian corridor on its border with Syria to facilitate the delivery of aid. The spiritual leadership of the Druze in Syria has publicly called for direct international protection, claiming that Bedouin groups have violated ceasefire agreements and urging the nations that guaranteed these agreements to ensure their implementation.
The Israel Defense Forces have completed new fortifications along the border with Syria in the Golan Heights, following incidents in which large numbers of Druze civilians crossed the border to join family members in conflict zones.
These rapid upgrades are intended to thwart mass infiltration attempts and bolster security amid ongoing regional turmoil, according to a Channel 12 report on Monday.
Key security enhancements include concrete barriers, dense barbed wire, restricted road access and the establishment of several checkpoints. The IDF has also increased the number of troops along the fence, in coordination with the Israel Police.
Overnight gatherings of Druze were again reported near the Israeli-Syrian border, but no new infiltration attempts occurred. Most Israelis who crossed into Syria have returned, and the IDF says no Syrian civilians remain in Israel.
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