In July, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews rapidly deployed resources to assist persecuted Syrian Druze and Christians in southern Syria, who were confronting what some describe as a genocide perpetrated by jihadists.

Attacks by Syrian-backed forces, including jihadist combatants, targeted Syrian Druze in the nation’s southern region, leading to the deaths of at least 1,400 individuals, among them 35-year-old Hosam Saraya, who was visiting relatives in Syria.

Yael Eckstein, President and Global CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, informed Digital that “Once we saw what was happening in Sweida, we could not turn a blind eye to it.”

Eckstein noted that her organization had not previously operated in Syria before this year. However, she stated that they “got an urgent call from a hospital from Sweida, and they needed basic medicines, surgical care, ICU medicine and equipment, first responder equipment and masks for morgue workers.”

The Fellowship collaborated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to deliver medical supplies and equipment to Sweida. Eckstein mentioned her group provided “retired Israeli ambulances to Syria so the locals can operate them.”

Sweida, a city predominantly inhabited by Druze, became a primary target of the siege carried out by Syrian Islamists loyal to the new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, previously affiliated with U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Reports indicate that Christians were also targeted. Islamists are said to have murdered Khaled Mazhar, pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Sweida, along with 11 members of his family. One additional person survived the massacre of Christians, believed to be dead by the Islamists.

In July, action was taken against predominantly Bedouin forces en route to the southern city of Sweida to halt the massacre. Israel also launched an attack on the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to stop the violence in Sweida. Eckstein further stated that at least “26 Druze villages were fully burned.”

Following Digital’s interview with Eckstein, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “at least 30 villages were damaged by arson and destruction.”

Eckstein stated that the Fellowship initially provided aid in Syria in April, when Druze in Syria faced targeting and killings.

“When we provided 1,500 food boxes to the Druze within 13 kilometers of Israel’s borders after the massacre in April, two days later Islamists burned boxes of the Fellowship,” Eckstein said.

Israel and Syria lack diplomatic relations. Syria is viewed as an adversarial state, having initiated multiple conflicts against Israel since the Jewish state’s establishment in 1948.

Eckstein stated that the Fellowship is “operating in enemy territory, and Jews and Christians are providing life-saving aid. Islamists don’t like it. We would like to see that it is in the Syrian government’s interests to receive aid and hope that more goodness will be brought to Syria.

“Now, Jewish people are standing with Christians who are being persecuted in Syria. It is really important to highlight that this is a case of good versus evil and is not just limited to . It is important for Jews and Christians to stand together regarding Judeo-Christian values that sanctify life.”

Safwan Marich, from the Israeli Druze community, who manages the Fellowship’s Emergency Response Center, informed Digital that, in the Sweida region, “there is a genocide going on. This needs no further explanation, especially for the Jewish people.

“Once the residents of the deserted village come back, they will understand the magnitude of disaster. Women were kidnapped by jihadists, and children were kidnapped and missing.”

Marich has maintained communication with his fellow Druze in Syria.

He stated, “This war is religious in essence.” He recounted, “There is a video of Daesh [] going to one of the villages asking, ‘Are you a Druze or Sunni?’ And he answered that he is Syrian. He asked him again, so he answered Druze, and he was shot in the middle of the street. It is obvious there is a religious motivation behind this event.

“It is important for me to help the Druze because, first and foremost, I am a Druze. The Druze people are not aggressive and hostile, but they will not sit idly by when they are attacked. We have in the Druze tradition a commandment to help our brothers. To come to aid of Druze community wherever it might be in the world.”

Marich further noted his Israeli identity, mentioning that a Druze officer was recently killed in Gaza. Since the conflict began, twelve officers from the Druze community have died in Gaza.

“They died defending Israel and the Jewish people. We have an expectation that Israeli society will come through and stand by Druze community, and so we can defend our brothers in Syria. The state of Israel cannot afford to have Daesh on its borders and in the Golan Heights.”

He cited the example of Hamas on the border and its escalating military threat over the years as a cautionary tale regarding radical Islamists establishing a presence on the Syrian-Israeli border.