Quneitra Governorate in particular, and southern Syria more broadly, continue to face Israeli attacks that have spared neither the land nor its people, while also undermining national sovereignty. Killings, displacement and abductions have escalated, alongside continued attacks on residents and their property, repeated overflights by Israeli aircraft, expansion within the buffer zones, and an alarming expansion of work associated with the \u201cSufa 53\u201d project, particularly during September and October. Against this backdrop, we, a group of Syrian activists and civil society organizations, unequivocally condemn these ongoing attacks, express our full solidarity with Quneitra and the south, and call for intensified civic action against these practices.<\/p>\n
What is happening in Quneitra and southern Syria is no longer a series of isolated attacks. It points to a systematic approach pursued by the Israeli occupation authorities to impose new facts on the ground, undermine Syrian sovereignty, and threaten the security, stability and fundamental rights of the population<\/strong>. The continuation of these practices without a unified national stance and meaningful action risks entrenching a reality with grave consequences for all of us as Syrians and for Syria\u2019s present and future.<\/p>\n Guided by our national, moral and humanitarian responsibilities, and by our conviction that Quneitra is not a cause for its residents alone, and that defending southern Syria means defending Syria\u2019s sovereignty and the dignity of all its people<\/strong>, we affirm the following:<\/p>\n First: Full solidarity with the people of Quneitra and southern Syria:<\/strong> We express our unconditional solidarity with residents facing Israeli attacks on a daily basis and affirm that these attacks are directed against all Syrians. Protecting their lives, land and rights is a shared national responsibility that must neither be neglected nor treated as a local or peripheral concern. We also affirm that our failure as Syrians to fulfil this responsibility is no longer acceptable under any circumstances.<\/p>\n Second: Intensifying peaceful popular and civic mobilization:<\/strong> We call on all sectors and communities of Syrian society\u2014individuals and groups, organizations, trade unions, community actors and political forces\u2014to fulfil their national and moral responsibilities and intensify peaceful protest and solidarity across Syria\u2019s governorates, rejecting Israeli attacks and affirming that Syrian sovereignty and citizens\u2019 rights must not be subject to bargaining or exploited for political or electoral purposes by the government of the occupying Power.<\/p>\n Third: Action at the Arab, regional and international levels:<\/strong> We call on all actors, particularly the Syrian Government, to intensify political, human rights and diplomatic efforts to condemn Israeli attacks, mobilize Arab, regional and international support to bring them to an end, hold those responsible to account, and press for respect for Syria\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the protection of its population.<\/p>\n Fourth: Syrian media must fulfil their national and professional responsibilities:<\/strong> We call on all Syrian media institutions, particularly State media, to give the events in Quneitra and southern Syria the coverage they deserve through sustained and comprehensive reporting on the attacks, highlighting residents\u2019 suffering, conveying their voices and demands, and ensuring that their cause is neither marginalized nor excluded from public debate.<\/p>\n Fifth: Strengthening the role of Syrian civil society organizations.<\/strong> We call on civil society organizations to draw on their expertise and capacities in mobilization, advocacy, documentation and media work to develop national and international campaigns that raise awareness of Israeli attacks, while providing humanitarian and material support to affected communities in Quneitra and southern Syria, strengthening their resilience and protecting their rights.<\/p>\n Sixth: Clarifying the fate of abducted and missing persons:<\/strong> We call on international and United Nations bodies to immediately clarify the fate of the 49 Syrians from southern Syria who have been abducted by the Israeli occupation authorities or remain missing in their custody, work to secure their release, guarantee their rights and safety, and ensure that their suffering and that of their families is not forgotten.<\/p>\n Seventh: Strengthening national solidarity and rejecting the use of the cause of southern Syria for divisive political purposes:<\/strong> We appeal to all Syrian communities, across all governorates and regardless of their affiliations and positions, to rally around Quneitra and southern Syria as a shared national cause that transcends political, social and regional divisions. Our internal differences, however deep, must not prevent us from taking a united stand against attacks on our land, our sovereignty and our citizens\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n Call for a National Day of Solidarity and Peaceful Protest \u2013 Friday, 23 October 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n In light of the above, we call on all Syrian women and men, across Syria\u2019s governorates and regions, to participate in large numbers in peaceful demonstrations and protest gatherings on Friday, 23 October 2026, under the slogan \u201cSouthern Syria Is Not a Stage for Your Elections\u201d<\/strong>, to reject Israeli attacks and stand in solidarity with the people of Quneitra and southern Syria.<\/p>\n We also call for the display of banners and slogans affirming Syria\u2019s territorial integrity and rejecting occupation and attacks, for solidarity campaigns on social media, and for the dissemination of hashtags supporting Quneitra and southern Syria, to help bring the voices of affected residents to the attention of the public locally, across the Arab world and internationally.<\/p>\n Silence over what is happening in Quneitra today opens the door to continued and expanded attacks tomorrow. Defending the south is not the responsibility of its people alone; it is a national duty incumbent upon all Syrians.<\/strong><\/p>\n Quneitra is not alone, the south is not on the margins of the nation, and Syrian sovereignty is indivisible.<\/strong><\/p>\n Together for Quneitra, together for the south, together for a free, united and sovereign Syria.<\/strong><\/p>\n Issued by a group of Syrian activists and civil society organizations.<\/p>\n Date: 20 October 2026<\/p>\n Times and locations of protest gatherings on Friday, 23 October<\/strong><\/p>\n Daraa: 18 March Square, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n Damascus: In front of the United Nations building, Mezzeh Western Villas, 2 p.m.<\/p>\n Homs: Clock Roundabout, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n Masyaf: In front of Masyaf Castle, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n Raqqa: Al Naim Roundabout, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Quneitra Governorate in particular, and southern Syria more broadly, continue to face Israeli attacks that have spared neither the land nor its people, while also undermining national sovereignty. Killings, displacement…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":31608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[877,1428,555,155,535,1810],"class_list":["post-31607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-civil-society","tag-human-rights-violations","tag-israeli-occupation","tag-Quneitra","tag-southern-syria","tag-1810","post_format-post-format-link"],"yoast_head":"\n