At Least 100,000 Bodies in Syrian Mass Grave, US Advocacy Group Head Says

Members of Syria's White Helmets civil defense collect human remains at a mass grave that was uncovered, in Damascus, on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
Members of Syria's White Helmets civil defense collect human remains at a mass grave that was uncovered, in Damascus, on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
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At Least 100,000 Bodies in Syrian Mass Grave, US Advocacy Group Head Says

Members of Syria's White Helmets civil defense collect human remains at a mass grave that was uncovered, in Damascus, on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
Members of Syria's White Helmets civil defense collect human remains at a mass grave that was uncovered, in Damascus, on December 16, 2024. (AFP)

The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organization on Monday said that a mass grave outside of Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al Qutayfah, 25 miles (40 km) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.

"One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate" of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. "It's a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate."

Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.

Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa's allegations.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad's crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.

Assad and his father Hafez, who preceded him as president and died in 2000, are accused by Syrians, rights groups and other governments of widespread extrajudicial killings, including mass executions within the country's notorious prison system.

Assad repeatedly denied that his government committed human rights violations and painted his detractors as extremists.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He assumed the role in January - while Assad was still in power - but told reporters last week that he was awaiting instructions from the new authorities and would "keep defending and working for the Syrian people."

Moustafa arrived in Syria after Assad flew to Russia and his government collapsed in the face of a lightning offensive by the opposition that ended his family's more than 50 years of iron-fisted rule.

He spoke to Reuters after he was interviewed at the site in al Qutayfah by Britain's Channel 4 News for a report on the alleged mass grave there.

He said the intelligence branch of the Syrian air force was "in charge of bodies going from military hospitals, where bodies were collected after they'd been tortured to death, to different intelligence branches, and then they would be sent to a mass grave location."

Corpses also were transported to sites by the Damascus municipal funeral office whose personnel helped unload them from refrigerated tractor-trailers, he said.

"We were able to talk to the people who worked on these mass graves that had on their own escaped Syria or that we helped to escape," said Moustafa.

His group has spoken to bulldozer drivers compelled to dig graves and "many times on orders, squished the bodies down to fit them in and then cover them with dirt," he said.

Moustafa expressed concern that graves sites were unsecured and said they needed to be preserved to safeguard evidence for investigations.



Why Is Israel Repeating Claims of Weapons Smuggling from Egypt?

A general view of the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt (AFP)
A general view of the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt (AFP)
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Why Is Israel Repeating Claims of Weapons Smuggling from Egypt?

A general view of the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt (AFP)
A general view of the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt (AFP)

Israel said its military had downed a drone carrying weapons that it claimed entered from Egyptian territory, in an incident that experts say reflects ongoing tensions between the two neighbors and may be aimed at pressuring Cairo over its opposition to the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said it had detected a drone attempting to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Israel around the Paran Brigade, near the border.

The drone was intercepted by Israeli forces. Upon arrival at the scene, security personnel located the drone, four weapons and ammunition, the army said, adding that the seized items were handed over to Israeli police.

The French news agency AFP also cited the statement, noting no casualties were reported.

The incident is the latest in a series of claims by Israel alleging that drones or weapons have entered its territory from Egypt.

In February, Israel said it had shot down a drone crossing from Egypt, and in October, it reported intercepting another drone it said was smuggling arms.

Egypt has not issued an official response to the latest incident, but a senior Egyptian military analyst dismissed the Israeli claims.

Retired General Samir Farag told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egyptian territory is “secure and tightly controlled,” rejecting any suggestion that it is being used to smuggle arms into Israel.

He said the repeated Israeli claims were a “pretext to justify the continued mobilization of the Israeli army and the war on Gaza” amid growing domestic unrest in Israel.

Cairo has been a central mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and has staunchly opposed any plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from the besieged enclave.

Israel has recently seen mounting anti-war protests from current and former soldiers, as well as civilians.

The demonstrations were sparked by an April 9 letter signed by a group of Israeli air force pilots demanding the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza—even if it meant halting the war.

The letter has since been backed by more soldiers, artists, intellectuals and public figures, further fueling pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reconsider its war strategy.

Former Egyptian diplomats and analysts have also dismissed Israeli claims that a drone carrying weapons entered its territory from Egypt, describing the move as part of a broader strategy by Tel Aviv to apply psychological and political pressure amid strained bilateral ties.

Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, a former assistant to Egypt’s foreign minister, said Israel’s allegations are consistent with its use of “hybrid warfare,” which includes military, psychological, and media tactics designed to manipulate other parties.

“These accusations are baseless,” Hassan told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that their repetition reflects growing internal pressure in Israel—both economic and military—as well as tension in relations with Cairo.

Hassan said Tel Aviv is frustrated with Egypt’s firm rejection of any plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza and its active diplomatic efforts to rally international support for reconstruction without resettlement.

“Israel is trying to deflect attention by repeatedly targeting Egypt’s role,” he said, pointing to recent Israeli media reports questioning Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai.

Israeli outlets have published reports in recent days alleging an unprecedented Egyptian military presence near the border, which some in Israel have claimed violates the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.

Dr. Said Okasha, an expert on Israeli affairs at Egypt’s Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, echoed these concerns, saying the drone claim is a reflection of current tensions with Cairo.

“It’s puzzling that Israel would make such statements publicly when there are well-established channels for handling border security issues through joint coordination committees,” Okasha said.

He added that the move appears aimed at undermining Egypt’s credibility as a mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks while also serving as a distraction for Israel’s domestic audience amid growing protests over the government’s inability to end the conflict.