ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday that humanitarian and health conditions have severely deteriorated in Syria’s southern Druze-majority Suwayda province after sectarian violence displaced more than 192,000 people, leaving residents facing dire shortages of food, medicine, and basic services.
“The violence in Suwayda has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people. Communications with the province were cut off, amid a severe shortage of food and water, in addition to power outages and the complete disruption of the banking system," Suhair Zakkout, the ICRC’s Middle East spokesperson, told Rudaw.
Clashes broke out on July 13 between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Suwayda. The conflict escalated with the involvement of Syrian government forces before a US-brokered ceasefire was announced on July 19.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in mid-August that the death toll from the Suwayda violence had reached 1,677, including “452 civilians field-executed” by Syrian government forces. The monitor has reported near-daily ceasefire violations since mid-June.
According to Zakkout, over 192,000 people have been displaced from Suwayda since clashes broke out, with 58,000 fleeing to neighboring Daraa province.
“Each household in Suwayda has taken in three to four displaced families, placing heavy pressure on local communities, particularly in the first weeks of the crisis. Doctors at Suwayda’s National Hospital are still working under extremely difficult conditions, she lamented, adding that medical supplies in the province’s hospitals are depleting.
Zakkout emphasized that "the ICRC has prioritized the delivery of life-saving supplies to Suwayda city, Daraa National Hospital, and Shahba Hospital from the outset," and they remain in contact with authorities in Damascus to support relief efforts.
However, she added that the situation in Suwayda “remains critical” despite the entry of humanitarian aid convoys.
Zakkout shared a testimony from a worker at Suwayda National Hospital, who said she held her children tightly to shield them from the violence. The woman said that her children were too frightened to move from one room of their house to another, even after the fighting subsided.
Amid the Suwayda violence, Israel conducted airstrikes targeting Syrian military and government sites.
Israel’s stated reason for the strikes - which included the bombing of a Syrian defense ministry building in Damascus - was to protect the Druze community, citing deep cultural and familial ties between Israeli and Syrian Druze.
Nalin Hassan contributed to this report.
