The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, as of Sunday, at least 93,000 people have been displaced due to escalating hostilities in Syria’s Suweida Governorate, both within Suweida and towards the neighboring governorates of Dara and Rural Damascus. Credible reports detail widespread atrocities perpetrated by different actors in the governorate.
In an update on Monday, OCHA said that most of the displaced people are staying with local communities and in at least 15 reception centers in Suweida. Some 30 collective shelters have also been opened in Dara Governorate.
Also on Monday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that the displacement in Suweida, Dara, and Rural Damascus has severely strained the limited resources of host communities and that the increasing need for shelter is putting further constraints on them.
Aid agencies in southern Syria report that humanitarian assistance is urgently needed in Suweida. Families are trapped without medical care, clean water, or enough food due to fighting that has closed hospitals, cut off roads, and broken water systems.
Several hospitals and health centers are reportedly out of service, and reports of unburied bodies raise grave public health concerns. Water infrastructure in Suweida has been critically damaged, disrupting services for over a week. Disruptions to food and other supplies, as well as significant cuts to electricity, have also been reported.
According to the organization Human Rights Watch, local witnesses have described the conditions at the National Hospital in Suweida as catastrophic. The hospital is reportedly overwhelmed and lacks basic medical equipment and electricity to adequately treat the injured.
On Tuesday, Tarik Jašarević, a spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO), told journalists in Geneva that the WHO does not currently have access to the National Hospital in Suweida, but that access is needed.
Jašarević said there were reports that the hospital was overburdened due to the mass casualty incidents and that there had been attacks on healthcare workers. Several doctors have reportedly been killed.
WHO continues to support hospitals in neighboring provinces, including in Dara, where emergency medical supplies are being sent, and to which patients are being referred.
With the security situation still tense and volatile, OCHA said Monday that it is engaging with all relevant parties at all levels to facilitate humanitarian access and ensure the protection of those caught up in the violence.
On Sunday, the first aid convoy deployed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent arrived in Suweida City and Salkhad District, where most of the displaced population has sought refuge. The 32 trucks carried aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and other humanitarian organizations.
Humanitarian teams are delivering vital supplies, including food, water, medical equipment, and fuel, to those affected. However, humanitarian access to Suweida remains highly constrained. According to OCHA, while humanitarian corridors have been discussed, physical access has not yet been secured for large-scale operations.
Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, welcomed the initial delivery as a desperately needed first step but said that much more relief is needed. He stressed that teams in the country and at the UN headquarters are mobilizing to deliver as much aid as possible.
The UN is working with its partners to prepare the next convoy of supplies to be sent through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). Another SARC-facilitated humanitarian convoy was scheduled to leave Damascus on Tuesday to reach those in need in Suweida Governorate.
Meanwhile, OCHA is coordinating with humanitarian partners and interim authorities to arrange a visit to Suweida to evaluate the situation and provide additional assistance as soon as security conditions permit.
In neighboring Dara, the UN and partners are delivering food, nutrition supplies, health supplies, water supplies, protection supplies, and other critical items to newly displaced people at reception centers.
The UN urges all parties to protect those caught up in the violence and allow them to move freely to seek safety and medical assistance.
Escalating violence, including mutual shelling and airstrikes carried out by Israeli forces, followed violent clashes. Since violence first erupted on July 13, reports indicate that there have been arbitrary killings of civilians, abductions, sectarian incitement, hate speech, and the burning and looting of property in the Druze-majority governorate.
The conflict between Bedouin tribal forces and local armed groups from the Druze community significantly escalated over nine days. This prompted the Syrian interim government to deploy security and military forces to the city, which sparked a series of Israeli airstrikes.
Overall, hundreds of people, including women and children, have reportedly been killed since July 13. While estimates of the death toll vary, on Sunday, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 1,120 people, including civilians, had been killed since July 13.
On Friday, Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, urged Syria’s interim authorities to ensure accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida.
According to credible reports received by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), widespread violations and abuses have occurred in Suweida, including summary executions, arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property, and looting of homes.
The reported perpetrators include members of the security forces, individuals affiliated with the interim authorities, and other armed elements from the area, including Druze and Bedouins. The atrocities have led to the mass displacement of the population in the predominantly Druze governorate.
“This bloodshed and the violence must stop, and the protection of all people must be the utmost priority, in line with international human rights law,” Türk said.
“There must be independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations, and those responsible must be held to account, in accordance with international standards. Incitement to violence and hate speech, both online and offline, must also be stopped.”
On the night of July 18, a ceasefire was reportedly reached between Syria and Israel following intense infighting in Suweida, as well as Israeli airstrikes targeting government sites in Damascus on July 16.
On the evening of July 19, a ceasefire agreement was reportedly established between all parties, ordering the withdrawal of armed groups and the deployment of special security forces to stabilize the region.
Tuesday, the Syria INGO Regional Forum, which represents the largest international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Syria, issued a statement welcoming the announcement of the ceasefire in Suweida Governorate.
The NGOs expressed deep concern over credible reports of summary executions, revenge attacks, and violence against civilians and humanitarian workers that occurred amid intercommunal violence and confrontations between armed groups.
"While verification efforts are ongoing, we reiterate that any deliberate targeting of civilians or unlawful killings constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," the statement said.
“Civilians must never be used as instruments of political or military retaliation.”
Among other things, the statement calls for full respect of the ceasefire, protection of all civilians, guarantees of the safety and neutrality of humanitarian operations, rapid humanitarian access to address urgent needs, and the safe, voluntary return of displaced people.
“The guns must fall silent—and stay silent—in Syria. Dialogue grounded on mutual respect, justice, and accountability is the only path to lasting peace,” the NGOs said.
For the past fourteen years, Syrian civilians have endured massive and systematic violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Despite significant political changes in the country in recent months, the Syrian people continue to endure one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The war has devastated Syria's economy and infrastructure, leaving millions without adequate housing, reliable access to water and electricity, and other basic services. Currently, more than 16.7 million Syrians, including approximately 6.5 million children, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, including food, shelter, and healthcare.
Despite some progress, Syria's humanitarian needs remain immense; years of conflict have pushed 90 percent of the population into poverty. About 7.4 million people remain displaced within Syria, and more than 6 million are living as refugees abroad. Over half of the population is food insecure, with nearly three million facing severe food insecurity.