Ailing Syria Awaits Delivery of Coronavirus Vaccine from Key Players
A child sells bread in Raqqa, northeastern Syria (AFP)
Contact lines staying unchanged in Syria for about a year is comforting for some and worrisome for others. For the first time in almost a decade, the spheres of influence have not shifted among the three major players in the war-torn country.
Casting a dark shadow, the coronavirus pandemic has spread across Syrian lands uninhibited by makeshift borders. Suffering under the pandemic unites Syrians living in all three areas of influence, knowing that political affiliations mean nothing for a virus that targets everyone.
In late 2019, the initial wave of the deadly coronavirus coincided with US-Turkish-Russian understandings for the east Euphrates region in Syria and US President Donald Trump signing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which ushered in a host of economic sanctions against Damascus.
By the time it was March 2020, the virus continued to spread across the world, Russia and Turkey signed an agreement for northwest Syria and the Caesar Act had been in effect for three months.
Since then, and for almost a year, the three spheres of influence maintained their shape without major shifts taking place. This is the longest they have remained constant since 2011.
After the Russian intervention in September 2015, the Syrian regime regained large swathes of territory. Moscow then closed agreements with each of Washington and Ankara, splitting Syria’s 185,000 square kilometers of land into three zones.
Syrian regime forces, backed by Russia and Iran, would go on to control one sphere of influence. The Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led International Coalition, locked its control over a quarter of Syrian territory.
Meanwhile, Turkish-backed armed factions overran large territories in north and northwest Syria.
Naturally, Damascus managed to secure access to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, after visiting Moscow, confirmed that Syria is looking forward to receiving its supply of the vaccine.
Priority will most likely be given to army forces and medical cadres.
However, it goes without saying that the vaccine could, like Russian army forces, take months to arrive.
Initially, Damascus adopted a policy of denial towards how affected it was by the coronavirus, implementing extremely shy measures to stem the spread of the virus.
Infections jumped staggeringly in August, especially in Damascus and neighboring provinces. Lack of social distancing measures paired with a health sector devastated by years of war helped the virus spread faster in regime-held areas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported nearly 100,000 infections and 6,500 deaths in regime-controlled areas. It accused authorities there of engaging in misinformation and seeking to conceal true figures regarding the toll of the pandemic.
Statistics released by the Health Ministry in Damascus contradicted widely with data collected from hospitals and cemeteries.
The ministry recognized only 9,603 infections, 554 deaths and 4,548 recoveries. It is worth noting that most infections and deaths took place in As Suwayda, Latakia, Tartus, Aleppo and Damascus.
The “Najha” cemetery, located in Damascus’ south, was forced to set up an entire section just to bury the remains of coronavirus victims.
Russia restrained Syrian regime ambitions for more control in Idlib and the east Euphrates region, with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu visiting Damascus in March to make sure that it commits to the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib and avoids all-out battles during the pandemic.
As for SDF-controlled areas, where ISIS was dealt a final defeat, the UK-based war monitor documented 34,000 infections, 13,000 recoveries, and 1,200 deaths with most cases being diagnosed in Kobane, Hasakah, Qamishli and Al-Malikiyah.
The US-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which is the administrative wing of the SDF, acknowledged 7,581 infections, 241 deaths and 1,087 recoveries.
Tragic and catastrophic best describe the situation in SDF-run territory, where theft of medical equipment became a popular phenomenon.
The SDF has managed to convince Washington, its ally, to make some exceptions with its economic sanctions to lower the impact they have on the health sector.
In the east Euphrates region, Turkish ambitions of expansion were not setback by the spread of the virus. Fierce clashes and bombardment continued to strike fear in the hearts of locals already struggling to survive the pandemic.
Israeli Intelligence, Financial Incentives Pressure Gaza Residents to Leave the Enclave
Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israel’s approach to the issue of displacement in Gaza remains unclear as it resorts to bombing and fear on the one hand, and promises and incentives on the other.
Israel is using both force and persuasion: striking areas to push people to flee, while at the same time hinting at “voluntary” departure through softer, indirect messages.
Caught between fear and false hope, residents of Gaza face growing confusion and chaos over what many see as Israel’s attempt to push them out through a mix of pressure and persuasion.
For nearly 19 months, relentless bombardment and bloodshed have left Gazans desperate for safety and stability — a vulnerability Israel appears to be exploiting through varied strategies aimed at forcing displacement.
The picture grew even murkier in recent days, as many residents received text messages from Israeli phone numbers urging them to contact intelligence officers via WhatsApp to coordinate their departure.
Some messages proposed specific times to meet near the Netzarim Corridor, a site often used for Israeli military operations inside Gaza. Several Gaza residents reported receiving calls from Israeli lawyers, urging them to sign powers of attorney to facilitate their displacement from the enclave.
Shattered dreams
One such individual, a man in his late 30s, shared that he received a call last Thursday from a law firm in Tel Aviv. The firm offered him the chance to sign documents to secure papers enabling his travel out of Gaza.
The offer extended beyond paperwork. The lawyer’s office assured him he would receive $5,000 before being arranged for travel through Ramon Airport to a European country, or potentially to Indonesia or Malaysia.
The man, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, explained that he had previously visited a European country, hoping to stay and obtain residency. However, that attempt failed, and he returned to Gaza.
A screenshot of a phone message Hamas says is from Israeli intelligence to a resident of Gaza. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
This might have been one of the reasons he was targeted again, as the firm seemed to want to rekindle a long-lost hope.
After declining the offer, he began receiving multiple messages on his phone urging him to contact an Israeli intelligence officer via WhatsApp to expedite his travel arrangements.
As Israel’s efforts to displace Gazans intensify, more residents are coming forward with stories of offers and coercion aimed at convincing them to leave the region.
An academic from Gaza, who asked to be identified by a false name, Bassam, recently received a notification inviting him to prepare for departure alongside fellow researchers and artists and their families.
The invitation came as part of a program backed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, designed to attract and support scholars and professionals by facilitating their integration into higher education, research institutions, and cultural organizations in France.
Bassem explained that they were instructed to gather at a designated location in Gaza before being transported by land to the Kerem Shalom crossing and then flown to Paris via Ramon Airport.
He shared that he would leave with his wife and their four children, hoping the opportunity would allow them to build a new future that not only benefits their academic prospects, but also contributes to the rebuilding efforts in Gaza.
Among the dual nationals contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat, Fares, also using a fake name, described how he traveled to a European country after securing approval from the embassy of the nation he holds citizenship with. He signed documents confirming his voluntary departure from Gaza, having applied for the move nearly a year earlier. He left Gaza with his family just recently.
Deceptive messages
Amid the uncertainty, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security issued a warning on Tuesday about what it called “campaigns to deceive citizens” into leaving their homeland.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the ministry condemned the ongoing psychological pressure and misleading messages reaching residents' phones. These messages, often accompanied by phone calls, urge people to meet with Israeli intelligence agents under the pretense of allowing them to travel abroad.
The ministry strongly advised citizens to ignore any such messages or calls, stressing the potential dangers posed by these deceptive tactics.
It also called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt its “malicious campaigns” targeting Palestinians, which says constitutes a violation of international law and amounts to forced displacement.
“What the occupation failed to achieve after months of genocide and aggression against our people, it will not accomplish through deception and manipulation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry, which is affiliated with Hamas, also warned it would take legal action against anyone found cooperating with the misleading messages.
Israel’s persistent displacement efforts
The deceptive messages serve as a reminder of Israel’s ongoing, relentless attempts to force the displacement of Gaza’s population. These efforts have ranged from enforcing a policy of “scorched earth” to establishing an administration aimed at facilitating voluntary migration, and even releasing media reports suggesting that foreign countries might accept Gaza migrants. These reports have been widely denied by the countries involved.
Last month, Egypt rejected claims circulated by Israeli media that it had agreed to temporarily house half a million Gaza residents in a designated city in northern Sinai as part of a reconstruction plan for the enclave.
The Egyptian State Information Service issued a statement firmly rejecting “any attempt to forcibly or voluntarily displace Palestinian brothers from Gaza, particularly to Egypt,” emphasizing that such a move would constitute a liquidation of the Palestinian cause and pose a direct threat to Egypt’s national security.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House on February 4, 2025. (AFP)
In February, US President Donald Trump proposed, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, a plan to “relocate Palestinians” from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, while the US would take control of the territory and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
This proposal was met with widespread Arab and international condemnation, particularly from Egypt and Jordan.
In response to the US proposal, Egypt developed a reconstruction plan for Gaza, which was approved during the Arab League’s Emergency Summit on Palestine in Cairo on March 4.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced in April that his country was prepared to temporarily host Palestinians affected by the conflict in Gaza, particularly those wounded or traumatized, as well as orphans.
However, he emphasized that this move would be “temporary” until conditions in Gaza improved and safe return was possible. Indonesia reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution.
In March, Israel revealed plans to set up an office for “voluntary migration,” aimed at facilitating the departure of Gaza residents to third countries.
Sick and injured, not migrants
According to Gaza’s government agencies, the few individuals who have recently left the territory are primarily patients and wounded individuals, not migrants, who have completed the necessary travel procedures to receive treatment abroad.
In the past four days, several families with injured individuals, patients, and dual nationals have left Gaza. These groups gathered in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis before traveling through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Jordan or Ramon Airport, from where they flew to various destinations.
No sources have confirmed the claims that these individuals were forced to sign papers agreeing not to return or to be removed from the civil registry.
Wasem Attiya pushes his father, Mohamed, 54, in a wheelchair as they head to Shifa hospital in Gaza City for a dialysis session, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP)
Europe tightens migration policies
Palestinians who left Gaza during or prior to the war have described how many European countries had already imposed stricter immigration policies even before October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
With the rise of the far-right in several European countries, immigration has become one of the most contentious issues, with some calls to expel Palestinians and Arabs from these countries. Others have even rejected offers to take in patients or injured individuals from Gaza.
Independent sources and expatriates in Europe confirmed that the majority of those allowed to travel from Gaza are primarily patients and the injured, with coordination between Israel and the World Health Organization.
Some European nations had allowed limited family reunification for Gaza residents already living in Europe, though this has almost entirely stopped, the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Currently, those permitted to travel are individuals holding foreign nationalities, with a small number of students allowed to go to Ireland. However, severe restrictions make it nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain official visas to enter Europe.
Amidst the ongoing destruction and displacement, the residents of Gaza continue to suffer.
