The Syrian Future Movement follows with deep sorrow and solidarity the sit-in held by the families of Syrian detainees held by the Israeli occupation, which took place on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Quneitra Governorate.
The families raised their demands to the United Nations and international human rights organizations, calling for information on the fate of their sons and their release, after more than a year of detention without any information about their whereabouts or conditions.
This sit-in, which comes days after a similar one in Daraa Governorate, is the cry of mothers, fathers, and children who have been waiting for months and years for a word of truth or a step towards their release, amidst a deafening international silence and a suspicious complicity of the international community towards the occupation’s systematic crimes.
The Syrian Future Movement expresses its absolute solidarity with the families of the detainees and affirms that their sons’ case is a national and humanitarian issue that is not open to compromise or forgetting.
The Syrian Future Movement notes that the demonstration by the residents of Quneitra comes amidst an unprecedented escalation of Israeli violations in southern Syria, including repeated ground incursions, house raids, and arbitrary arrests.
We reiterate that these practices, documented by local and international human rights organizations, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and constitute a flagrant violation of all international conventions and norms.
We also emphasize that the continued detention of these citizens without trial or even informing their families of their whereabouts constitutes a fully-fledged crime of enforced disappearance.
The Syrian Future Movement holds the international community, particularly the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, responsible for failing to protect these detainees and demands immediate and urgent action.
The Syrian Future Movement observes that the residents have raised their demands with the United Nations and international human rights organizations, calling for urgent intervention to determine the fate of the detainees and ensure their release.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that the international community’s silence on the crime of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance is yet another crime against humanity.
We call upon the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to pressure Israel to release all detainees, disclose their fate, allow visits to them, and provide them with necessary medical care.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its firm and consistent positions in defending the rights of detainees and abductees, published on its official website, including:
- The statement “Um Hamza’s Cry: The Case of Detainees in Israeli Occupation Prisons” (dated June 21, 2026), which commended the courage and patience of the families, affirmed its absolute solidarity with all detainees’ families, and called upon the Syrian government to form a national crisis cell to follow up on this issue.
- The statement “Protest by Families of Detainees in Front of the United Nations” (dated May 20, 2026), which condemned the international community’s silence on the crime of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance and demanded pressure on Israel to release all detainees.
- Human Rights Watch issued a statement on June 24, 2026, warning against collective punishment. The statement emphasized that true justice cannot be achieved through collective retribution, but rather through fair judicial institutions. This also applies to the necessity of holding perpetrators of arbitrary arrests accountable.
The Syrian Future Movement appeals to the Syrian government and international and humanitarian organizations, offering a set of recommendations to address this urgent humanitarian issue:
- Intensify diplomatic and legal pressure, through official and international channels, to address the Security Council and relevant international bodies, demanding the disclosure of the fate of detainees and guaranteeing their release, in line with the appeals made by families to the United Nations.
- Activate the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross and demand that it be granted access to detention centers to assess the detainees’ conditions and inform their families of their fate, as is in accordance with Israel’s obligations as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions.
- The issue of detainees must be included in any future negotiations or agreements, and this file must not be closed under any circumstances. The return of all detainees must be a fundamental condition for any security or political arrangements.
- The families of detainees must be supported psychologically, socially, and legally. This support includes providing psychological and social assistance to the families of detainees, offering them free legal aid, and pursuing their cases in international forums. The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its absolute solidarity with the families of detainees and stands firmly with them in their just struggle to secure the release of their loved ones.
We affirm that the issue of Syrian detainees in the prisons of the occupying forces is a national and humanitarian issue, and the world’s silence on it is a crime against humanity.
We also call upon the Syrian government and the international community to assume their responsibilities and take decisive and immediate measures to uncover the fate of the detainees and ensure their safe return to their families, because the dignity of the Syrian citizen is a red line that cannot be crossed.
