Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced urgent humanitarian aid for the Druze community in Sweida province, southern Syria, following recent violent attacks and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, the aid package—worth 2 million shekels—includes food supplies, medical equipment, first aid kits, and essential medicines. The aid will be fully funded by the Foreign Ministry’s budget and directed specifically to Druze-populated areas affected by the violence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced the commitment, stating that Israel “is determined to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria, based on the deep brotherhood with our Druze citizens in Israel and their historical family ties across the border.”
Roughly 700,000 Druze live in Syria, mostly in Sweida, representing about 3% of the population. In Israel, around 130,000 Druze reside in the Carmel and Galilee regions.
A ceasefire agreement was reached between the Druze community and the Syrian Interior Ministry after nearly four days of bloody clashes between Syrian army and pro-regime Bedouin tribes against local Druze factions. Over 374 people were killed, including 27 civilians — among them four women and an elderly man who were executed by Syrian regime forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On Friday, a Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson announced that internal security forces would be redeployed in Sweida “to help resolve tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes.”
During the Bedouin attack on the village of Walgha, an Israeli drone reportedly struck Bedouin fighters in the area, amid continued airstrikes in the Daraa and Sweida regions.