Egypt Daily News – In a move that has drawn sharp criticism and accusations of hypocrisy, Israeli media reported on Sunday that Israel has sent emergency medical aid to Syria’s southern province of Suwayda, home to a majority Druze population. The delivery comes even as Israel faces mounting international condemnation over a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the Israeli government approved the shipment of urgent medical supplies to Suwayda following a high-level emergency meeting on Saturday, attended by Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso. The decision was reportedly made in coordination with the United States, which informed Syria’s transitional authorities about the planned aid delivery.
The broadcaster added that the supplies mostly emergency medical equipment, were transferred into Syrian territory on Sunday and that additional shipments are expected in the coming days.
Aid Amid Accusations of Double Standards
While Israel frames the assistance to Suwayda as a humanitarian gesture, critics argue it starkly contrasts with the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians face extreme hunger and displacement.
Gaza’s Government Media Office warned on Saturday that over 650,000 children under the age of five are at imminent risk of death from starvation due to Israel’s continued blockade and military campaign, now months into a devastating war.
Human rights organizations and UN agencies have increasingly accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war charges that Israeli officials deny. Still, images of emaciated children and devastated neighborhoods in Gaza stand in grim juxtaposition to the aid shipments being sent across the border to Syria.
Fragile Peace in Suwayda
The Israeli aid arrives amid a tentative ceasefire in Suwayda, where violent clashes broke out on July 13 between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes. The violence escalated rapidly, drawing in Syrian government forces that were subsequently ambushed by local armed Druze groups, resulting in dozens of military casualties.
On Sunday, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barak announced via X (formerly Twitter) that all parties had agreed to a ceasefire in Suwayda, effective 5 p.m. local time. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab also confirmed a temporary truce had taken hold, describing it as a “preliminary step toward prisoner exchanges and restoring stability to the province,” according to Syria’s official news agency SANA.
This latest agreement follows three previous attempts at brokering a ceasefire, all of which quickly collapsed amid renewed violence. The latest flare-up was reportedly triggered by abuses committed by a faction loyal to Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, which forcibly expelled Sunni Bedouins and carried out retaliatory attacks in their communities.
A Post-Assad Syria in Transition
Suwayda’s unrest unfolds against the backdrop of a broader political transition in Syria. In December 2024, President Bashar al-Assad was ousted after 24 years in power, ending one of the Middle East’s longest-ruling regimes. The transitional Syrian government now faces a difficult balancing act, rebuilding state institutions while reining in a patchwork of armed groups and navigating complex regional dynamics.
Israel’s sudden humanitarian involvement in the Druze heartland of southern Syria raises both strategic and ethical questions. While some interpret the aid as an effort to stabilize a volatile border region and curry favor with the Druze community, others view it as a cynical attempt to project moral leadership while enacting a harsh military policy in Gaza.
A Tale of Two Crises
The juxtaposition is stark: in one part of the Middle East, Israel is delivering medical relief to civilians caught in a local conflict; in another, its actions are exacerbating one of the most dire humanitarian disasters in recent memory.
The contrast has not gone unnoticed. As Israeli trucks cross into Syria with medical supplies, children in Gaza reportedly die of hunger and dehydration. The move has prompted outcry on social media and renewed calls from international watchdogs for accountability.
Critics ask: can a state truly claim humanitarian motives in one theater while presiding over catastrophe in another? For many Palestinians and international observers, the message is clear: aid cannot be divorced from context and morality must be consistent.
