Damascus, SANA-The White Helmets organization announced it lost contact with Hamza al-Amareen, head of an emergency response center, on Wednesday, July 16.
According to a statement published on Friday on the Syrian Civil Defense’s Telegram channel, al-Amareen entered Sweida around 4:30 PM on July 16 after receiving a call for help from a UN team. He was driving a Hyundai Staria van clearly marked with the organization’s logos and wearing the official uniform.
The statement added that a woman, whom al-Amareen had helped evacuate and who was with him in the vehicle, said that armed locals stopped them at al-Omran roundabout in Sweida, forced him out of the car, and took him to an unknown location—also seizing the vehicle.
The Civil Defense said it managed to reach al-Amareen’s phone at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 17. A person who answered said he was safe, but no further calls were answered.
The organization held these factions fully responsible for al-Amareen’s safety and demanded his immediate release, warning against using the vehicle for any purpose.
The Civil Defense stressed that such actions against humanitarian workers are serious violations that hinder aid efforts for civilians in Sweida, who are in dire need of assistance.
The White Helmets stressed the importance of respecting humanitarian work and called for the protection of all aid workers, medics, and responders to ensure continued emergency response and essential services for hundreds of thousands of civilians.
MHD Ibrahim
