Jewish-Christian Organization Delivers Emergency Aid to Syrian Druze and Christians Amid Jihadist Attacks

As jihadist forces launch brutal attacks against religious minorities in southern Syria, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has rapidly mobilized to provide critical humanitarian assistance to Druze and Christian communities facing what many are calling a genocide.

In July, Syrian-backed Islamist militants, reportedly loyal to newly installed President Ahmed Al-Sharaa—a former member of U.S.-designated terrorist groups al-Qaeda and ISIS—carried out massacres in and around the majority-Druze city of Sweida. The death toll has surpassed 1,400, including Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian American from Oklahoma who was visiting family.

"Once we saw what was happening in Sweida, we could not turn a blind eye," IFCJ President and Global CEO Yael Eckstein told Fox News Digital.

Although the organization had never operated in Syria before, an urgent call from a Sweida hospital requesting basic medicine, surgical tools, and morgue masks prompted immediate action. In coordination with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the IFCJ delivered medical supplies and even retired Israeli ambulances into Syrian territory—an extraordinary move given the two countries’ hostile relations.

"We are operating in enemy territory, and Jews and Christians are providing life-saving aid. Islamists don’t like it,” said Eckstein.

According to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Christians were also targeted. Among the victims was Pastor Khaled Mazhar of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Sweida, who was killed along with 11 of his family members. One survivor managed to escape only because the attackers mistakenly thought she was dead.

To prevent further bloodshed, Israel launched airstrikes in July against Bedouin jihadist convoys heading toward Sweida, and also targeted Syrian Defense Headquarters in Damascus.

Reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that at least 30 villages have been destroyed by fire and violence. Eckstein added that 26 Druze villages were "fully burned."

The Fellowship had previously provided food aid to Druze families near the Israeli border in April, following an earlier massacre. However, extremists retaliated by burning the food boxes, visibly marked with the organization’s logo.

"This is not just about Syria—it’s about good versus evil," Eckstein emphasized. "Now, Jewish people are standing with persecuted Christians. We must uphold Judeo-Christian values that sanctify life."

Background Context

Since 1948, Syria has officially considered Israel an enemy state, launching multiple wars against the Jewish state. Despite the longstanding animosity, this act of humanitarian outreach stands as a rare moment of cross-border compassion.