Syria: First humanitarian aid convoy arrives in Sweida after violence that left more than 1,100 dead

Clashes erupted on July 13 between Druze groups and Sunni Bedouins, whose relations have been strained for decades, before the intervention of security forces and Arab tribal fighters from other parts of Syria who sided with the Bedouins, according to NGOs and witnesses. Journalists on the outskirts of Sweida and in this city of some 150,000 inhabitants reported a calm day.

A first convoy of humanitarian aid entered the devastated city, which was without water and electricity and was running low on food. The convoy included 32 vehicles loaded with food, medical supplies, fuel, and body bags, according to Omar al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Syrian Red Crescent. The morgue at the government hospital in Sweida is full, and bodies lie strewn on the ground outside. Authorities announced overnight that fighting in the predominantly Druze city had ended, saying it had been evacuated by tribal fighters.

A spokesperson for the Syrian Council of Tribes and Clans confirmed to Al-Jazeera that the fighters had left the city "in response to the presidency's call and in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement." On Saturday, tribal fighters entered the western part of the city, where dozens of burned homes and cars were seen, and gunmen set fire to shops after looting them. On the walls of houses in the city, in a neighborhood that has seen violent clashes, the attackers left their mark: "Druze pigs" and "We are coming to slit your throats," graffiti read.

The US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, stated on X that the next step toward "a lasting de-escalation is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are underway." Damascus's ceasefire announcement came hours after Washington declared it had brokered a truce between Syria and Israel, which claims to want to protect the Druze. This agreement allowed the deployment of government forces in the province—but not in the city of Sweida itself—something Israel had previously refused.

Israel, which is home to a Druze minority, had bombed government positions in Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week to force government forces to withdraw from the region. The violence has left more than 1,100 dead in one week, according to a new report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). According to the SOHR, this death toll includes 427 Druze fighters and 298 civilians, including 194 "summarily executed by members of the Defense and Interior Ministries."

On the other side, 354 government forces and 21 Sunni Bedouins were killed. Fifteen government forces were also killed in Israeli strikes, according to the NGO. Nearly 128,000 people have been displaced by the violence, according to the International Organization for Migration. Clashes in April pitted Druze fighters against security forces near Damascus and Sweida, leaving more than 100 dead.