Syrian families staged a protest in front of the United Nations (UN) base in Quneitra province for their relatives held by Israel in southern Syria. The demonstrators, who gathered on Wednesday in the Naba al-Fawar area, protested the Israeli army's border violations and the detention of their relatives.
Participants carried banners reading 'I want my brother,' 'I want my father,' and 'Knowing where my son is is my most basic right.' One of the protesters, Mufida Ashour, said that Israeli forces detained her grandson, a university student, a year ago while he was on his way to register.
'For a year, we knocked on every door. We went to the UN office in Damascus, the foreign and interior ministries,' said Ashour, struggling to hold back tears. She called on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and international officials to work for the return of the detainees to their families.
Hasan Ahmed, who came from the Jabata al-Khashab area of Quneitra, said his son has been held in Israeli prisons since April 25, 2024. 'We are here to pressure the UN for the release of the prisoners in Israeli jails,' Ahmed said.
Ahmed noted that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross have so far been unable to visit the detainees or obtain information about their health, and called on the international community not to remain silent.
For months, southern Syria has witnessed repeated violations by the Israeli army, including raids, searches, detentions, and the establishment of military checkpoints. These developments began after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024, when Israel declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement and occupied the buffer zone belonging to Syria.
Maria Nica / Editor
