On October 24, 2023, fixed-wing warplanes believed to be Russian fired multiple missiles at al-Masbah Camp, also known as Ahl Saraqeb Camp, for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the northwestern outskirts of al-Hamama village in a rural area of Jisr al-Shoghour city in western rural Idlib governorate. The attack resulted in a massacre, in which six civilians – two children, three women, and an unborn fetus- were killed, and another five civilians, including three children, were injured, with at least seven tents heavily damaged. The area is under the control of armed opposition factions and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that the area targeted is a group of camps scattered across agricultural land, including Ahl al-Iz Camp and al-Kazout Camp. The camps are located about one kilometer from each other.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that through these attacks, Russian forces have again unequivocally violated Security Council resolutions 2139 & 2254, both of which categorically prohibit indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law on distinguishing between civilians and fighters. Such attacks aim solely to spread fear and panic among civilians, to drive them from their lands and homes, and to forcibly displace them. It is estimated that 6.5 million people are currently internally displaced in Syria.
The international community must put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to support a process of political transition. Pressure should be applied on all parties to compel them to launch such a transition within a period of no more than six months, so that millions of displaced people can safely and stably return to their homes.
Destruction in Ahl Saraqeb IDPs Camp in western rural Idlib governorate caused by Russian airstrikes that resulted in a massacre in which Six civilians were killed – October 24, 2023 | Photo is exclusive to SNHR.
