On May 10, 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the Israeli forces arbitrary detention of Firas al Mohammad and his 17-year-old child, Bashar. The two are from Seyda al Hanout village in the southern suburbs of Quneitra Governorate during an incursion that was supported by military vehicles.
According to the information obtained by SNHR from reliable local sources, the Israeli Occupation Forces arbitrarily detained them and transferred them forcefully to unknown destination. Bother were released a few hours later, with no clear legal practices. Making this detention illegal according to the international human rights law.
Legal Conclusions
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) obliges states to take appropriate measures to protect children from all forms of violence, especially during conflicts or security prosecutions.
- The detention of a civilian and his child without a judicial warrant, a clear security necessity, or charges, and without respect for fair trial guarantees, constitutes arbitrary detention under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits deprivation of liberty without legal basis.
- According to Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (Article 75), all detained persons must be treated humanely, with respect for their legal rights, which was not respected in this incident, neither in terms of the legal basis for detention, nor in terms of its duration or place.
- The Israeli military incursion and detention operations inside Syrian territory constitute a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any Member State and constitutes an act of aggression that violates the rules of public international law.
- Repeated incursions and occupation of military barracks inside Syria, as well as security operations and detentions, are practices that perpetuate an unrecognized occupation and may pave the way for demographic change or the imposition of a de facto military authority, threatening broader grave violations.
SNHR condemns the Israeli forces incursion, as well as the raids and detention of civilians, these practices are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, specifically The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Accordingly, SNHR recommends the following:
- Clear international condemnation of the illegal detention by the Israeli occupation forces, considering it a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, requiring legal accountability.
- Calling on the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council to investigate the incident, through mechanisms such as the International Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and document it within the pattern of Israeli violations in southern Syria.
- Demanding that Israel disclose details of the detention process, provide public legal justifications, and compensate the detained civilians for the violations they suffered, including material and moral harm.
- Deploy international monitoring forces or expand the scope of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to include monitoring detentions and violations against civilians in Syrian border areas.
- Activate international criminal accountability tools, especially the International Criminal Court (ICC), to consider classifying these practices as war crimes related to unlawful detention in occupied or disputed territories.
- Improving civilian protection in conflict zones by establishing local early warning networks and documenting unauthorized foreign troop movements, in cooperation with local civil society organizations and human rights activists.
