The Syrian Future Movement follows with deep condemnation and sorrow the events that took place in Damascus on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, when families of Syrian detainees in Israeli prisons held a protest in front of the United Nations building, demanding the immediate disclosure of their sons’ fate and their release.
We see in this demonstration a resounding cry from mothers, fathers, and children who have been waiting for months and years for a word of truth or a step towards their rescue, amidst a deafening international silence and a suspicious complicity from the international community regarding the systematic crimes of the occupation.
The Syrian Future Movement strongly condemns the practices of the Israeli occupation, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance, as described by the families, are a blatant violation of all international conventions and norms, and a flagrant challenge to all human values.
The Syrian Future Movement indicates that this demonstration comes amidst an unprecedented escalation of Israeli violations in southern Syria. The “Sijil” Center for Human Rights documented 254 Israeli violations in the Quneitra and Daraa governorates during April alone, including ground incursions, house raids, shelling, and the bulldozing of agricultural lands.
This dangerous escalation explains the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe described by residents and confirms that these violations are not isolated incidents, but rather a systematic policy aimed at displacing the population and imposing a new reality.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its firm and consistent positions rejecting the occupation and supporting the rights of prisoners, which have been published on its official website, including:
- The statement “Israeli Incursions in Daraa and Quneitra” (dated March 17, 2026), which called for urgent action from the international community to stop these grave violations.
- The statement “Continued Israeli Incursions and Bombing of the Al-Mantarah Dam Area” (dated May 1, 2026) condemned the Israeli military operations, deeming them aimed at destabilizing the region.
- The statement “Amnesty International’s Warning Regarding Israel’s Destruction of Civilian Homes in Southern Syria” (dated May 15, 2026) documented the systematic demolition of homes and the forced displacement of residents.
This series of interconnected statements demonstrates that the Syrian Future Movement is closely monitoring this issue in all its details and recognizes that the occupation’s crimes take many forms: from incursions and killings to displacement and destruction, and even arrest and 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 action to pressure Israel to release them and reveal their fate. The Syrian Future Movement also calls on the Syrian government to intensify its diplomatic efforts and pursue this issue in all international forums, taking all necessary legal and political measures to ensure the return of its citizens.
The movement reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the families of the detainees and stands firmly with them in their just struggle to secure the release of their loved ones.
We, for our part, will remain a voice defending their rights and will continue to exert pressure through all available means to ensure their case is not forgotten, because we believe that the world’s silence on the crime of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance is itself another crime against humanity. Let the guns fall silent, and let the cries for justice resound.
