Syrian conflict: Wounded civilians turn to Israel's historic enemy in the midst of Deraa's bloodshed

The last thing Diaa, 24, remembered, was the roar of a plane over her village in Deraa, Syria, the target of a brutal regime offensive against the rebels. He and an employee had gone outside their shop to take a look. The ground was suddenly torn under their feet.

The doctors at the poorly equipped field hospital could hardly help the Syrian trader whose face had been torn by the missile that hit the village. His legs and arm were also broken.

Diaa said that he would have died if he had not been hospitalized in neighboring Israel, a country that is the sworn enemy of his native nation.

"They tried to take me to a hospital in Jordan but I was told that the border was closed and that you could not go in. For me it was the end of I lost hope, the campaign hospital could do nothing for me, they did not have the ability to do surgery, "he said The Independent

Diaa spoke in the presence of a member of the Israeli army at the Galilee Medical Center in northern Israel, where he underwent two operations in his eyes, and a procedure of reconstruction at his face.

The hospital currently treats 43 Syrians, some up to six months, and has treated a steady stream of wounded over the last five years.

"A guy offered to help me send to Israel, thank God they treated me," said Diaa

Mohammed, 21, who also fled Deraa and was being treated in the same hospital. access to Jordan, whose border was closest to the fighting in Deraa.

"The only place we got was the Jordanian border, and they closed it on our faces."

Diaa and Mohammed are among A growing number of Syrians who have fled fighting in the southern province of Syria and found themselves dependent on Israel, a historic foe, and some have even spoken of wanting to be safe. settle in Israel, in one of the strangest developments of the seven-year conflict. The only place we were standing was the Jordanian border, and they closed it on our faces

Since Israel's inception in 1948, the two countries have been fierce enemies and have taken opposing stances in at least three wars, mainly on the issue of the Palestinian territories.

Syria, home to some 560,000 Palestinian refugees by the United Nations, has refused to recognize that Israel exists.

The UN has repeatedly asked Jordan to receive some of the estimated 320,000 displaced people in the Deraa offensive. But the country, which is already struggling to accommodate 650,000 registered Syrian refugees and perhaps 600,000 more, has so far refused on the grounds of security and economic pressure.

With the Jordanian border closed, tens of thousands of Syrians fled. the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that were demilitarized under a UN-controlled truce of 44 years between Syria and Israel.

The Israeli army said: The Independent staged regular cuts in humanitarian aid and provided more than 1,500 tons of food, nearly a million of liters of fuel for heating, as well as 300 tents to the Syrian displaced.

Since 2013, more than 4,800 Syrian civilians have also been treated in Israel.

The "Good Neighbor" operation, as it is called, benefits Israel by helping to stabilize the Syrian side of the border. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has taken a firm stance against hosting refugees. Officials at the hospital where Diaa and Mohammed are being treated said that once the wounded were treated, they had to return to Syria.

Although they were told that there was no room for them in Israel, Syrian families camped near the Israeli border said that if allowed, they would consider to settle in Israel even after decades of ferocious hostilities. Russia's machine and the militia forces made us think of combining with what we consider to be the devil. We all think about going to Israel but it is not allowed. Everyone is trying to escape death because the Jordanian border is blocked, "said Ammar, 27, a father of two to Rafid, a border worker.

"It is strange to us that Israel is more humane than our Arab brothers once I heard people say that they hoped that Israel would include this area in the Golan Heights "

Huda, 42, an agronomist and another Syrian displaced in the same area, said: There is no water system or water supply system. 39, sewer and, during the summer months, they fight against insects, snakes and scorpions

"It is forbidden to enter Israel. Supported by Russia, Syrian government troops seized most of the province of Deraa, the cradle of the Arab Spring uprising, during a bloody campaign called the final battle against the rebels

. On Thursday, for the first time in years, rule me the forces entered the city of Deraa and raised the national flag, according to witnesses. At the same time, a large Russian military delegation reportedly entered the area held by rebels in the city and began negotiations on its transfer to the state.

At the height of the Deraa offensive, the UN said more than 320,000 people had been displaced.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization called for immediate access to 210,000 people in the southern region. services. The UN agency said at least 15 Syrians, including 12 children, died last week because of dehydration and diseases related to contaminated water.

On the same day, Oxfam renewed its calls for the opening of Jordan's borders, saying that there are still thousands of displaced people from Daraa out of reach of humanitarian aid [19659002] Moutaz Adham, the country director of Oxfam in Syria. Their struggles will worsen if they do not get the water, food and medical attention they urgently need.

The Deraa rebels last week agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia but it is unclear how long the fragile truce will last. Thousands of families have decided to return home while the fighting calmed down.

But many camped on the Israeli border and told The Independent that they remain safe while fearing a new outbreak of violence.

With a nascent humanitarian crisis and war on its doorstep, Israel has become increasingly involved in the Syrian conflict.

On Thursday morning, the Israeli army claimed to have attacked Syrian military positions near its border, in retaliation for the incursion of a Syrian drone shot down by a Patriot missile on the northern part of the country. 39; Israel.

Israel is also concerned about its nemesis Iran has been building permanent military infrastructure in Syria since its intervention in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2013. In May, Iranian forces fired 20 rockets at the Golan Heights occupied. Israel responded with dozens of airstrikes on 70 targets in Syria

M. Netanyahu, who is currently in Moscow, told Russian officials that Israel would not seek to overthrow Assad but urged them to encourage Iranian forces to leave Syria, a senior Israeli official said.

The official, who spoke with Reuters, said that the Israeli leader had returned rebadured that they "[Russia] were leaving the Iranians."

David Keyes, a spokesman for Netanyahu, denied that the Prime Minister made a statement to Putin.

Returning to the Galilean Medical Center, Israeli hospital officials have recognized the strange position in which they find themselves.

"We take care of people who consider us their enemies." Stay here for the recommended treatment because they did not want to be here longer, "said Sharon Mann, the Liaison Officer of the Hospital for International Affairs

"But in Syria, they talk quietly about us." [ad_2]
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