Syria confirms closure of civil war-era desert camp, displaced return home
The notorious Rukban displacement camp in the Syrian desert, a dark emblem of the country's civil war, has closed, with the last remaining families returning to their hometowns.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said on Saturday on X that with the dismantlement of the camp, 'a tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime's war machine comes to a close'.
'Rukban was not just a camp, it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation, where the regime left people to face their painful fate in the barren desert,' he added.
The camp, established in 2014 at the height of the country's ruinous civil war, was built in a deconfliction zone controlled by the United States-led coalition forces fighting against ISIL (ISIS).
The camp was used to house those fleeing ISIL fighters and bombardment by the then-government of President Bashar al-Assad, seeking refuge and hoping to eventually cross the border into Jordan.
But al-Assad's regime rarely allowed aid to enter the camp as neighbouring countries also blocked access to the area, rendering Rukban isolated for years under a punishing siege.
About 8,000 people lived in the camp, staying in mud-brick houses with food and basic goods smuggled in at high prices.But after al-Assad was toppled following a lightning offensive led by the current president of Syria's interim government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in December, families began leaving the camp and returning home.
Al-Sharaa has promised to unite Syria following the fall of al-Assad and rebuild the country at home and rejoin the international fold abroad.
Last month, al-Sharaa met with world leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, who announced that sanctions on Syria would be removed in a decision that would allow the country a 'chance at greatness'. The European Union followed suit and also lifted sanctions. Both moves have given Syria a critical lifeline to economic recovery after nearly 14 years of war and economic devastation.
Yasmine al-Salah, who returned to her home after nine years of displacement in the Rukban camp and marked the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha, told The Associated Press news agency on Friday that her feelings are a 'happiness that cannot be described'.
'Even though our house is destroyed, and we have no money, and we are hungry, and we have debts, and my husband is old and can't work, and I have kids – still, it's a castle in my eyes,' al-Salah said.
Her home in the town of al-Qaryatan in the eastern part of the Homs province was damaged during the war.
Syrian Minister for Emergency Situations and Disasters Raed al-Saleh said on X said the camp's closure marks 'the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies faced by our displaced people'.
'We hope this step marks the beginning of a path that ends the suffering of the remaining camps and returns their residents to their homes with dignity and safety,' he added.
According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.87 million Syrians have returned to their homes since al-Assad's fall.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Musk's efficiency model fails, Israel needs excellence
In a nation known worldwide for innovation, shouldn't our governmental systems reflect the same ingenuity that powers our most successful sectors? Imagine two government offices side by side. In the first, budget cuts eliminate 30% of the staff, forcing the remaining workers to process paperwork faster, yet citizens still wait hours, frustrated and unserved. In the second, a complete digital redesign allows most services to be completed online in minutes, with personalized guidance available for complex cases. Both claim 'efficiency,' but only the second delivers excellence. When Elon Musk took charge of US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, he promised a revolution in government operations. Within weeks, over 200,000 federal employees were dismissed. 'We are moving fast,' Musk admitted, 'but we'll also fix mistakes quickly.' This bulldozer model captured global attention, including in Israel, where bureaucracy has long been a national punchline. The temptation to import this model is understandable. Yet what Israel needs is not America's DOGE but rather to reimagine the concept entirely, where the 'E' evolves from mere 'Efficiency' to true 'Excellence.' This distinction isn't semantic wordplay. Efficiency asks, 'How can we do the same with less?' Excellence asks, 'How can we create more value for citizens?' The first measure reduced inputs; the second focused on improved outcomes. Excellence often costs less in the long run by eliminating the hidden expenses of poor service: repeated visits, economic opportunities lost to delays, and the massive collective waste of citizens' time. As Israelis, we maintain a consistent expectation that our government should deliver quality services year after year. This social contract is fundamental to our society. We're willing to contribute through taxes and military service, but we expect competent governance in return. The excellence approach recognizes that well-functioning public institutions form the foundation of this mutual commitment and our national resilience. The irony is that Israel, the Start-up Nation, lags dramatically behind in government innovation. The same country that pioneers cutting-edge technologies in cybersecurity, agriculture, and healthcare still processes many government services using methods from the previous century. What the American DOGE does get right is creating a national conversation about government performance. Before DOGE, government reform was largely a technical discussion among experts. Now, it's front-page news. This visibility creates accountability and builds the political will necessary for meaningful change – precisely what Israel's public sector reforms have lacked. Excellence doesn't mean abandoning necessary protections; strong regulatory frameworks safeguard public health, safety, and essential services. The goal isn't to eliminate these safeguards but to redesign them intelligently. Consider business licensing: smart reform maintains high standards while eliminating redundant approvals and creating clear, predictable paths for entrepreneurs. What would an excellence-focused approach look like in practice? The solutions are largely known, and numerous committee reports have outlined necessary reforms for Israel's public service. What's missing isn't ideas but rather the sustained political commitment and public support to implement them. Three key initiatives must take priority. First, government services must be fundamentally redesigned with citizens at the center of the process. This goes beyond mere digitization to rethinking how services are structured and delivered. Estonia offers an instructive example. They've built an integrated digital government platform where services are designed around life events and user needs, not agency structures. Their transformation saves an estimated 2% of GDP annually while dramatically improving citizen satisfaction. The key insight isn't just technology; it's the citizen-centric redesign of the entire service experience. Second, excellence demands investing strategically in our public servants. This means creating diverse entry pathways to attract top talent, ensuring competitive compensation for key positions, and establishing cultures of innovation where continuous improvement is rewarded. Third, we need structured collaboration across sectors. Government doesn't have to solve every problem alone; it can leverage expertise from private industry, civil society, and academia. This multi-sectoral approach enables faster adaptation to evolving challenges while ensuring public services remain relevant and effective. The blueprints for transformation already exist in Israel. What's needed now is the determination to implement them, not through indiscriminate cuts but through thoughtful redesign backed by a genuine political commitment to better service. The citizens of Israel deserve a civil service that matches the excellence they demonstrate in their own fields. In a nation known worldwide for innovation, shouldn't our governmental systems reflect the same ingenuity that powers our most successful sectors? The question isn't whether we can afford such a transformation but whether we can afford to continue without it. The writer is the executive director of Tashtit, which works to promote professional and effective public service in Israel. He is also a member of the leadership team at Eco Memshal, a multi-sectoral space for organizations working to strengthen the public service in Israel.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel says it has killed leader of Palestinian militant group that took part in October 7 attack
The Israeli military says it has killed the leader of a Palestinian militant group that took part in the October 7, 2023, terror attacks on southern Israel. Asaad Abu Sharia, who led the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement and its armed wing the Mujahideen Brigades, was killed in a joint operation with Israel's Shin Bet security agency, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday. His death and that of his brother Ahmed Abu Sharia were confirmed by the militant group hours after Gaza's Civil Defense reported that an Israeli airstrike had hit their family home in the Sabra area of Gaza City. Hamas run Al-Aqsa TV said the strike killed at least 15 people and injured several. Video showed people searching through the debris of a demolished four-story house. The Mujahideen Brigades took part in the October 7 attacks alongside Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups and took hostage some of the most high-profile captives, including a family whose suffering became a symbol of the attack. According to the Israeli military, Sharia was among the militant leaders who stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where many residents were killed or taken hostage during the brutal terror assault that led to Israel's war in Gaza. Despite not being aware of Hamas' plans in advance, fighters from the jihadist group joined in the cross-border assault 'as an extension of the Hamas attack,' the Israeli military said. According to Israel, Sharia was directly involved in the abduction and murders of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas – a family that became one of the most recognizable victims of the attack, partly because of the young ages of Kfir and Ariel, who were nine months and four years old respectively at the time. Kfir was the youngest hostage kidnapped into Gaza and the youngest to have been killed. The boys' mother, Shiri, was 32 at the time of her kidnap. Their father Yarden was also captured, but was released alive in February after 484 days in captivity. Reacting to news of Sharia's killing, the Bibas family expressed their 'heartfelt gratitude' to the Israeli military, saying his death was 'another step on the journey towards closure.' 'While Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir cannot be brought back, we find some measure of comfort knowing these despicable murderers will not harm another family,' the Bibas family said in a statement shared via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Israel's military said Sharia was also involved in the abduction of the Israeli-American couple Gad Haggai and Judi Lynn Weinstein Haggai and the abduction and killing of Thai national Nattapong Pinta. The Israeli-American couple were killed near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the attack in 2023. The body of Nattapong, an agricultural worker who was abducted alive on October 7, was recovered from southern Gaza in a military operation on Friday. Israel said it believes the Mujahideen Brigades are still holding the body of an additional foreign national. The group has previously denied killing their captives.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dawn French apologises after ‘mocking tone' in video about Israel-Hamas conflict
Comedian Dawn French has apologised after posting a video online about the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying she 'clumsily used a mocking tone' and it 'appeared one-sided'. The Vicar Of Dibley actress posted a video on social media this week in which she switched between her normal voice and a higher pitched voice. In the video about the conflict, she said: 'Complicated, no, but nuanced', adding: 'Bottom line is, no.' — Dawn French 💙🔴🏳️🌈🇺🇦🇵🇸 (@Dawn_French) June 7, 2025 Then at one point she said in the higher pitched voice: 'Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us.' French has now posted a statement on X saying she has taken down the video and apologised, saying her intention was never 'to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened' on October 7 2023. The statement, posted on Saturday, says: 'Ok, it's important to address this. 'I posted a video in the style I've been using for social media in an effort to convey an important point. I clumsily used a mocking tone. 'My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal unthinkable, unforgivable, savage attack. 'My heart broke for the many innocent people and their families that were killed, tortured, r@ped and kidnapped. The fact that hostages are still held is utterly appalling. 'My intention was to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this atrocious war, who have continued to behave like the worst, dangerous, sickening bullies and seem to relish the tyrannical and childish oneupmanship of the violence. THEY were my target, but clearly I failed to do that, and that's on me. I apologise unreservedly. I'm particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn't figure. It appeared one-sided, and that is wrong. 'I am a person, who like many others, is feeling increasingly helpless and hopeless as we witness the carnage and destruction worsen. The images of starving and wounded children have haunted me day and night. History has taught us never to stand by and allow this kind of inhumane violence to be wrought on anyone, especially innocent children. 'I have felt my silence is complicit or even somehow sanctioning. So in my small way I wanted to voice my desire to say NO – to BOTH sides – to any further violence. 'I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I'm sorry and I have removed the video.'
