Six Civilian Deaths and Seven Injuries Recorded, With Dozens of Families Fleeing Israeli Occupation’s Bombardment and Military Operations
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The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights:
On March 25, 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the killing of six residents of Koya village in the Yarmouk Basin area of western rural Daraa and the injury of at least seven others, including a woman, at the hands of Israeli occupation forces who carried out a ground incursion and attacks targeting the village.
According to information obtained by SNHR’s team on the ground, the Israeli occupation forces, backed by military vehicles, carried out a ground incursion into Koya village on the morning of Tuesday, March 25. Clashes ensued between the Israeli occupation forces and local residents, who used personal firearms in defense. These confrontations resulted in the killing of two individuals and the injury of two others. After withdrawing from the village, Israeli forces launched artillery and drone strikes on residential areas there, killing four more civilians and injuring five others, including a woman.
SNHR also documented the displacement of dozens of families from the village —mostly women and children— who fled toward al-Shajara town, east of Koya, in an effort to escape the Israeli occupation forces’ shelling and military operations. Our teams are still working to gather further information on the victims and the extent of the damage.
SNHR strongly condemns this brutal attack, which constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The deliberate targeting of civilians and residential areas without distinction is strictly prohibited under international law. All parties to the conflict are obligated to take all possible precautions to protect civilians. Israeli occupation forces did not issue any prior warning before carrying out the attack, which increased the numbers of civilian deaths and injuries.
This attack is part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at terrorizing the local population and imposing a new security reality, in direct contravention of international law. It also constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and a breach of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of any member state. Additionally, Article 51 of the Charter permits the use of force only in cases of self-defense, which has not been substantiated in this attack.
SNHR must stress that the continuation of such attacks represents a grave violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel, which mandates the protection and security of civilians. Furthermore, the political developments in Syria since December 2024 no longer justify the continuation of Israeli military operations, which serve only to instill fear among civilians and destabilize southern Syria.
SNHR calls on the international community to take urgent action to halt these repeated violations, uphold international humanitarian law, and protect civilians in Syria. SNHR also urges the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and relevant international bodies to launch an independent investigation into the attack and hold those responsible accountable under international justice mechanisms to ensure that the perpetrators do not escape punishment.
