Hope: End the event in Syria quickly Israel today

The matter on which the government convened is not routine, and so is the conduct before it • But it must be remembered that it is not the only humanitarian event that Israel is facing • Interpretation

• Conitra Pass, Archive

  Photo: 

  Eyal Margolin / Ginny

Not many events accurately meet the definition of "sensitive humanitarian matter," which justifies a secret government meeting, ministers signing a commitment to secrecy, and close monitoring of military censorship to ensure no sensitive information is published.

The event that the government dealt with yesterday certainly meets this definition, so the secrecy surrounding it is understandable.

This is a matter that requires urgent and sensitive treatment.

Since this is Syria, Israel is aided by the good services of Russia - the real landlady in Syria, and the patron of President Assad.

This is also the reason for the series of unusual phone calls that took place about ten days ago by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, with the Russian president, and with Russia's defense and foreign ministers.

The three were asked to exert their influence in Damascus, and help resolve the humanitarian issue.

As far as is known, they acceded to the request, and since then there have been quiet contacts on the subject through their mediation.

Yesterday's government meeting - on a short schedule and under secrecy - was apparently intended not only for updating, but also for making decisions, since the government is the formal body authorized by law to decide on issues of this kind.

Russia has already been a party to solving another humanitarian problem.

In March 2019, the remains of the soldier Zechariah Baumel, who also fell in the battle of Sultan Yaakov, were returned to Israel.

The body was then located by Russian soldiers, after extensive searches in a cemetery near Damascus.

The information was given about the approximate location of the body in the cemetery was given to the Russians by Israel, according to which they carried out several rounds of excavation in the cemeteries, in each of which body parts were transferred for examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Israel.

In the third round of searches, Baumel's body was identified, and was transferred to Israel along with other finds.

Israel then hoped that the Russians would also be able to locate Feldman and Katz's bodies, but this did not help.

About two weeks ago, there were reports in the Arab media that Russian soldiers had returned to dig in the Damascus cemetery, but as far as is known, this is incorrect information.

Senior officials last night expressed hope that it would be possible to "end the affair as soon as possible and in the best possible way."

The Syrian arena is not the only one in which Israel deals with humanitarian issues.

There is also an unclosed humanitarian case in the Gaza Strip - the case of IDF casualties Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and of civilians Avra ​​Mengistu and Hisham a-Sayed, who are held by Hamas. In recent days, the Goldin and Shaul families have renewed pressure on the government Vaccines against compensation for promoting the interests of IDF martyrs and civilians held in the Gaza Strip.