Women Journalists Without Chains expresses deep alarm over the escalating pattern of Israeli violations in southern Syria, particularly in Quneitra Governorate, where ground incursions, raids, arbitrary detentions, and attacks on civilians have sharply increased.

The organization warns that the area is witnessing a dangerous shift marked by repeated arrests, artillery shelling, the expansion of military presence, and systematic intimidation of residents living within and around the buffer zone.

Since early April, Israeli forces have detained at least 10 Syrian civilians, in addition to 19 arrests recorded in March—among them 11 children. Data from the Syrian Network for Human Rights indicates that 46 Syrians, including 11 children, were detained during the first quarter of this year. While some individuals are released within hours, others are transferred to undisclosed locations, contributing to a climate of fear in border communities repeatedly subjected to raids and searches.

The detention of children represents a particularly grave violation and requires urgent international action to prevent further abuses and avert the emergence of patterns reminiscent of large‑scale violations documented in other contexts.

Legal Assessment

Women Journalists Without Chains underscores that international law affords children full civilian protection, with additional safeguards due to their heightened vulnerability. These violations fall squarely under the Fourth Geneva Convention, given Israel’s effective control and status as an occupying power in the area.  

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights also applies extraterritorially in situations of occupation. Arbitrary detention without charge violates Article 9 of the Covenant, while the forcible transfer of detainees to facilities operated by the occupying power constitutes a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention’s prohibitions on unlawful transfer and deportation.

Documented Incidents – April

- 20 April: Israeli forces detained two youths, Nimer Shaaban (18) and Imran Shaaban (16), following a raid on their home in Bariqa, Quneitra countryside.  
- 19 April: A civilian from Tranja was detained and transferred to a military site in the Jabata al‑Khashab reserve.  
- 11 April: Three individuals were detained, including two from Kudna and a 55‑year‑old man from Daraa countryside.  
- 7 April: Two civilians from Kudna were detained and later released.  
- 4 April: A child herding livestock in Ruwayhina was detained and released hours later.  
- 29 March: Two children were detained while grazing sheep in Al‑Asha village.

Shelling and Targeting of Civilians

Incidents documented in March and April reveal a clear escalation in Israeli military activity. On 3 April, an Israeli tank shell struck a civilian vehicle in southern Quneitra, killing Osama Al‑Nuaimi. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) confirmed the firing of two tank rounds and expressed concern over repeated breaches of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.  

These attacks form part of a recurring pattern that may amount to collective intimidation and could constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.

Military Incursions and Isolation of Villages

Israeli forces have increasingly isolated villages in Quneitra by blocking main and secondary roads, restricting civilian movement, and intensifying operations within the buffer zone. Recent incursions in northern and central Quneitra have included home raids, the establishment of checkpoints, aerial surveillance, and the deployment of drones to intimidate residents.  

The installation of prefabricated structures inside Syrian territory further suggests plans to expand military presence—an action that violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

Warning of Serious Escalation

Women Journalists Without Chains warns that the ongoing escalation—characterized by arbitrary detention, the targeting of civilians, and repeated incursions—constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian and human rights law. These developments risk triggering a severe deterioration in security and humanitarian conditions across the region.

The Organization Calls For:

- An immediate halt to all Israeli military incursions and attacks inside Syrian territory.  
- The unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained civilians, especially children.  
- An end to the targeting of civilians and civilian objects, and the initiation of independent, transparent international investigations into all violations.  
- The provision of special protection for children and a prohibition on their detention in any military or security context.  
- Urgent intervention by the United Nations and the broader international community to halt these violations and ensure the protection of civilians.

Women Journalists Without Chains stresses that continued impunity will only entrench further violations, undermine regional stability, and heighten the risk of broader escalation.