Damascus (QNN)- Syrian rights groups are raising the alarm over the abduction of dozens of Syrians, including children, by Israeli forces. Shadi Zeina (18), was kidnapped near the Syrian border. His mother, who has not known his whereabouts for three months, pleaded with human rights organizations to reveal his fate.
Since July 29, 2025, Shadi has been held in Israeli prisons. According to the group Sijil, his case is part of a larger pattern: Israeli forces have kidnapped at least 45 Syrians, including four children. The organization said families still lack information about the hostages’ locations, legal status, or conditions of imprisonment.
Some hostages reportedly face no formal charges or court hearings. Israeli authorities classify others as “unlawful combatants,” a designation that allows Israel to imprison foreign nationals without trial under Israeli law.
Human rights advocates say the lack of information has deepened fear and suffering among families in southern Syria.
Shadi’s mother told Quds News Network that she only discovered his prison location after the rights group Hamoked intervened. Many hostages, she said, are held as “unlawful combatants” with no charges or legal proceedings.
Shadi’s case is one of many that reflect a broader escalation. Last year, Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajneh revealed a secret Israeli prison named Naftali, in northern occupied Palestine, where Syrian and Lebanese hostages are held.
Mahajneh, working with the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, said Israeli forces kidnapped dozens of Syrians before and after Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Some, like a 14-year-old boy from Quneitra, have been held without charges since 2024.
Israel has sharply escalated its assaults on southern Syria since the collapse of Assad’s regime. Israeli forces have launched repeated airstrikes and expanded ground incursions into Syrian territory, claiming they aim to block weapons transfers to Syria’s new authorities.
At the same time, Israel continues to occupy parts of Syrian land near the border.
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani urged the United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory.
Addressing the Security Council, al-Shibani said ongoing Israeli attacks undermine Syria’s efforts to restore stability and security after years of war.
