From medical supplies to advanced missile warnings – Israeli groups promote aid to Syrian Druze during the war with Iran

Since the start of the latest war with Iran, the Druze living in the Suweida area of southern Syria have suffered from falling missile debris as ballistic missiles fired at Israel are intercepted over their heads.

On Tuesday, a group of young Israelis calling themselves the “Druze Information Headquarters” launched a special appeal to the IDF to allow the Syrian Druze to receive emergency alerts via the Home Front Command app, which already exists in Arabic.

The organization was established following the massacre of Druze in the Suweida area under the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. Its goal is to expose atrocities against Druze across the border, many of whom are related to the Druze living in northern Israel.

In their appeal, the groups explained that the residents of Suweida currently have no early warning system, which could allow them to take shelter during the missile attacks. 

“From our familiarity as Israeli citizens with defense systems, we understood that the most logical, feasible and fastest solution already exists – the Home Front Command app," the appeal says. 

One of the initiators of the appeal Elisar Bibar, said the IDF's detection systems are already working to identify threats in the area, and the Home Front Command application already exists in Arabic. 

"In our understanding, this is a simple solution that does not require new technological development or special resources, but only goodwill," she told Ynet News, who first reported the story. "This is not an initiative with a security or political nature, but a humanitarian act whose purpose is to prevent a disaster and save the lives of innocent people. Our moral and human obligation, together with the deep blood connection to our brothers, do not allow us to stand idly by in the face of the danger to life that hangs over them.” 

Baha Abu Hamed, a resident of Suweida, told Ynet, "During the day, we usually don't see the missiles above us. We do see planes on their way to Iran or back to Israel. And you can see the smoke trails they leave in the sky.”
“But at night, these sights are special. When the sky is clear, the missiles or interceptions look like shooting stars,” he noted. “At first, people went up to the roofs to see what was happening. Some tried to shoot at the missiles with Kalashnikovs. But obviously that doesn't really help.” 

Baha said that people in Suweida and the surrounding areas currently rely on information from “social media or from friends in Israel.” 

“The fear here is great,” he noted. “After the wars in the region, many people suffer from trauma. Any explosion or strange thing in the sky causes panic.” 

Arij Naim, another resident of Suweida, said that while "the number of missiles flying overhead makes people afraid,” the residents also “have great confidence that Israel will protect us.” 

Meanwhile, the Druze Information Headquarters hopes to speak with the Home Front Command to discuss how the initiative can be implemented. 

“If we can use a system that already exists to save lives across the border, it is a moral obligation to do so," the organization said. 

At the same time, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) announced that it had decided on Monday to grant an emergency aid budget, in the amount of NIS 2 million, to the Druze community in Syria, which is suffering under the regime in Syria. 

The decision includes support for the purchase and provision of emergency medical equipment, support for the public diplomacy activities by the Druze Emergency Response Team, as well as support for campaigns to expose atrocities committed by regime-aligned forces in Syria. 

KKL-JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky said he was proud of the decision to help the Druze in Syria.  

“This is one of the decisions I am most proud of since taking office,” Ostrinsky said. “The ability to step outside the box and make groundbreaking decisions is at the heart of the Zionist idea, and today's decision is an expression of the deep partnership between the Jewish people and the Druze community in Israel and around the world.” 

Ostrinsky connected the attacks against Jewish communities in the Diaspora to the sufferings of the Druze in Syria, saying, “it is impossible to stand aside.” 

“Just as we are heartbroken by terrorist attacks that harm Diaspora Jewry, such as the one that recently occurred on Bondi Beach in Australia, so are our Druze brothers and partners in the face of the extreme massacre that their people are undergoing in Syria,” he continued. 

“In the face of this pain, it is impossible to stand aside, and we at the KKL-JNF have chosen to stand by the Druze community as an expression of the shared destiny between our peoples. This is the Zionist act required of us in light of the situation," added Ostrinsky.