'Like a Grave': Syrians Shelter Underground

Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
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'Like a Grave': Syrians Shelter Underground

Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

In a battered village in Syria's last main opposition bastion, one resident has hewn a bomb shelter out of rock to stay on his land and protect his family from attacks.

Kansafra, in the south of Idlib province, often comes under Syrian army fire targeting militants who control the area, while Russian warplanes circle above and carry out airstrikes in support of ally Damascus.

Many families have fled the village, located less than two kilometers from the front lines.

Now, just a few shops remain open, while heavily damaged buildings line the streets.

But Ahmad Khalil, 53, would not leave.

"People keep telling us to go to a camp for displaced people, but these camps are a thousand times worse," he said.

Khalil carved out the shelter next to his house in 2017.

Winding, narrow steps lead down to a small room with a low, curved roof, illuminated with sunlight from a shaft and a dim lamp.

"I prefer to stay here under the bombs," he said, even though the shelter is "like a grave".

held Idlib region in Syria's northwest is home to about three million people, around half of them displaced from other parts of the country during more than a decade of conflict.

Many live in impoverished tented settlements, dependent on international aid.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham controls swathes of Idlib, as well as parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks, so Khalil's family has been spending more time underground.

Whenever they hear shelling or warplanes, they run to the shelter.

"There are always aircraft flying over the village and the area, it never stops. The life we lead is worse than death," said Khalil, who has two wives and seven children.

Mostly bereft of furniture, the shelter is covered with basic floor mats. Jars of vine leaves and other fermented vegetables are stored in the cool of the underground cave.

Buying bread means a walk to the nearest shop, at constant risk of attack.

In the family's somber shelter, two of Khalil's young sons played with toys on the ground.

"My children dream of living like any other children -- of going out and playing outside," said the father.

But here, "there are no other children for them to play with... and the entire region is in ruins," he added.

"This is no life."



UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday slammed as "unacceptable" the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, a spokesman said, calling the loss of life in the territory "unthinkable".

"The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"We are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza (and) the secretary-general condemns the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid," he said. "It is unacceptable civilians are risking and in several instances losing their lives just trying to get food."

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after.

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire.

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.