{"id":2156,"date":"2025-07-29T23:34:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T23:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jagsystem.com\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T23:34:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T23:34:34","slug":"cidade-drusa-na-fronteira-com-a-siria-lamenta-tragedia-e-teme-novo-conflito-apos-invasao","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/israelagora.com.br\/en\/?page_id=2156","title":{"rendered":"Druze town on border with Syria mourns tragedy and fears new conflict after invasion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Members of the Druze community gather along the dividing line with the buffer zone as they wait for a chance to see relatives on the Syrian side near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights region of Israel, on July 19, 2025. (Jalaa Marey \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\r\n\t#Druze<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>

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\r\n\tIn a Druze town near Israel’s northeastern border, grief grips the community<\/strong><\/p>

A year ago, a Hezbollah missile struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams, killing 12 children and turning the site into a symbol of mourning.<\/p>

\r\nRecently, the town returned to the headlines for a different reason: hundreds of Druze residents broke through the security fence separating Israel’s Golan Heights from Syria to reach family members they hadn’t seen in decades.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThe invasion followed days of violent clashes in southern Syria between the local Druze population and Bedouin militias backed by the Syrian government.<\/p>

\r\nThese clashes have left more than 1,100 dead and forced more than 120,000 people to flee, according to the UN and Syrian monitoring groups.<\/p>

\r\nMany of those who crossed the fence said they were willing to march to Suweida, the Syrian region where the violence is concentrated, to try to stop the killings.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nVideos showing massacres of Druze civilians in Syria, allegedly recorded by those responsible, began circulating on the cellphones of Majdal Shams residents.<\/p>

\r\nFor many, the images recalled the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but now the tragedy was hitting their relatives in Syria.<\/p>

\r\nSome criticized the Israeli government for not doing enough to stop the violence, despite Israeli airstrikes against Syrian military targets in Suweida and Damascus.<\/p>

\r\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said these actions were aimed at protecting the Syrian Druze, highlighting a “blood pact” with the Druze in Israel.<\/p>

\r\nOthers, however, praised the intervention.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nNear the border, men and women chanted the names of relatives lost years ago, holding signs in the hope of reunion.<\/p>

\r\nIn emotional scenes, two sisters, separated by 30 years, embraced in tears on camera.<\/p>

\r\nA mother was reunited with her 48-year-old son, whom she hadn’t seen since he moved to Syria as a teenager.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThree days later, with a fragile ceasefire in place, some residents of Majdal Shams still remained near the fence.<\/p>

\r\nDalia Shams, a local resident, was moved by the videos of the reunions, but urged her children to avoid the border area.<\/p>

\r\n“I told them: you have a future here.<\/p>

\r\nWhat if they close the crossing? You’ll be trapped there, where there’s no life,” she said.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nHadi Sabra, another resident, believes the Israeli army allowed the invasion as a form of silent support.<\/p>

\r\n“They knew people needed to vent and see their loved ones,” he said.<\/p>

\r\nA soldier, identified only as “A,” described the difficulty of witnessing the reunions: “They cried, hugged, and then returned to opposite sides of the fence, to enemy countries.<\/p>

\r\nNo one knows if they will see each other again.”\r\n<\/p>

\r\nNot everyone in the community supported the invasion.<\/p>

\r\nHeba Asaad, leader of an organization that coordinates humanitarian aid for Syria, understands the desire to help, but argues that the action should have been organized.<\/p>

\r\n“Crossing the border of an enemy country like this puts everyone at risk,” she said.<\/p>

\r\nShe helped send medical supplies, such as trauma kits and medicine, to the Suweida hospital, where an alleged massacre occurred.<\/p>

\r\nDruze and Jewish Israelis also joined forces to donate blood to the wounded.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nJonathan Conricus, a former Israeli army spokesman, said Israel’s strikes in Syria were aimed at preventing a further escalation.<\/p>

\r\nHe linked the violence in Suweida to the recent lifting of US sanctions against Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.<\/p>

\r\n“It’s an old conflict between the Druze and the Bedouin, but now supported by the Syrian government.<\/p>

\r\nIsrael’s strikes have probably saved thousands of lives,” he said.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nHadi Sabra approved of the strikes, but believes they should have happened sooner.<\/p>

\r\n“It showed that there is an alliance between us,” he said.<\/p>

\r\nMeanwhile, the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords, which promote peace in the region, seems distant.<\/p>

\r\n“If there is peace, I will be the first to go,” said Dalia Shams.<\/p>

\r\nSabra, however, was more blunt: “You don’t make peace with jihadists.<\/p>

\r\nIf they are not stopped, they will carry out another October 7th, in Syria and here.”\r\n<\/p>

\r\nSarit Zehavi, a retired major and security researcher, also dreams of peace, but warns against trusting Al-Sharaa.<\/p>

\r\n“If there is normalization, I will be on the first bus.<\/p>

\r\nBut he only knows how to talk nicely,” he said.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nIn recent years, more Druze from the Golan Heights, who previously considered themselves Syrian citizens, have sought Israeli citizenship.<\/p>

\r\nIn 2025, 1,050 applied for citizenship, nearly double the number from 2024, according to officials.<\/p>

\r\nAbout 6,000 Druze in the region, or 20% of the population, now hold Israeli passports, though many avoid disclosing their identity.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nWith the reduction of Hezbollah attacks, tourism in the region was beginning to recover, but the recent violence in Syria has halted this progress.<\/p>

\r\nMuchi Shams, owner of a local resort, lamented: “First Hezbollah, then Iran, now Syria.<\/p>

\r\nEverything was booked, but suddenly, everything disappeared.”\r\n<\/p>

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Dalia Shams points out the photographs of children killed when a Hezbollah rocket fell in her town of Majdal Shams in July 2024. (Deborah Danan)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\r\nIn Majdal Shams, mourning lingers.A sculpture of a soccer ball with angel wings marks the spot where the 12 children died.<\/p>

\r\n“My friends who lost loved ones still avoid celebrations.<\/p>

\r\nThere are so many scars,” said Sabra.<\/p>

\r\nHeba Asaad added that families have not yet overcome last year’s tragedy and now face the weight of the massacres in Syria.<\/p>

\r\n“July will forever be a dark month,” she said.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nOn the soccer field, children have returned to play, bringing a measure of lightness.<\/p>

\r\nBut a banner bearing the faces of the 12 victims and broken scooters, untouched since the attack, serve as reminders of the pain.<\/p>

\r\nAccording to Dalia Shams, the children only recently returned to the camp after community healing sessions.<\/p>

\r\nHer husband, Adham, finds solace in the Druze belief that souls remain in the community.<\/p>

\r\n“It’s a small comfort to know that these souls are still with us,” he said.

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Published in 07\/29\/2025 23h34<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Portuguese version<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.<\/p>\r\n\t\t

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Reference article:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n