In an overnight operation on Thursday evening, Israel transferred several dozen tonnes of humanitarian aid to refugee encampments in southwestern Syria.
IDF forces delivered 300 tents, 13 tonnes of food, 15 tonnes of baby food, three palettes of medical equipment and medicines as well as 30 tonnes of clothing and footwear which were transferred in a special operation at four different locations.
Tens of thousands of Syrians are attempting to escape Bashar Assad’s aggressive forces and the Russian military in Syria. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it would continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the area but said it would not allow Syrian refugees to cross the border.
In a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, they said “the IDF is monitoring the events in southern Syria and is preparing for a variety of scenarios, including continued humanitarian assistance to fleeing Syrians. We will not allow passage of Syrians fleeing the country and will continue to defend Israel’s security interests”.
Since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been displaced. Israel – who remains officially at war with Syria – has responded to the civil war by providing medical treatment to wounded Syrians, treating people in field hospitals on the border and in public hospitals, mostly in northern Israel since 2013.
The IDF has been providing additional humanitarian aid to Syrians as part of Operation Good Neighbour since 2016, a massive multi-faceted humanitarian relief operation to keep starvation away from the thousands of Syrians who live along the border and provide basic medical treatment to those who cannot access it because of the war.
