Israeli Military Ends Syrian Civilian Aid Mission
Image by Israel Defense Forces
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has ended its operation providing humanitarian assistance to Syrians affected by the country’s long-running civil war.
“Operation Good Neighbor,” which was launched in 2016, came to an end due to the return of the Syrian regime to southern Syria, according to the IDF. Rebel groups in the area fell during the summer to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Since 2013, over 4,900 civilians who were injured in Syria have received medical treatment in Israel, including 1,300 children.
The IDF said Thursday in announcing the end of the program that some 7,000 people were treated in the day clinic on the border, called Mazor Ladach, or relief for the suffering.
Israel also provided the Syrian civilians with food (including baby food), clothing, diapers, medical equipment and medication, vehicles, generators, tents and personal hygiene kits.
“The IDF’s extensive assistance activities in the Syrian Golan Heights were another expression of the guiding values of the IDF, including reaching out to needy civilians on the borders of the country,” the army said in a statement.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
