Ali al-Abdullah spent more than five months in Israeli detention centers last year after being taken from a village in southwestern Syria. He stated that he was beaten and placed in solitary confinement, although no formal charges were ever brought against him. His experience is shared by dozens of other Syrians who have been apprehended by Israeli forces since the country seized a United Nations mandated buffer zone following the ouster of Bashar al Assad nearly two years ago.
The seizure of the 235 square kilometer buffer zone in December 2024 sparked resentment across the region, particularly among families living within or adjacent to the area. The initial euphoria felt after Assad’s departure quickly faded as Israel introduced checkpoints and patrols into local villages and began a series of detentions. Human rights groups, two former detainees, and relatives of current detainees have reported that many individuals were subjected to physical and verbal abuse during arrests and while held in Israeli prisons.
Kinan Baker, 39, was detained in August 2025 during a middle-of-the night raid on his home. His mother, Huda Baker, said the military threatened to blow up their house if he did not surrender within five minutes. After he walked out, he was blindfolded and handcuffed. His family has not heard from him since and remains uncertain about his location or the reason for his continued detention.
The Israeli military told the Associated Press that its presence in and around the buffer zone is necessary to defend the northern border from Hezbollah. The group, backed by Iran, fought closely alongside Assad during Syria’s 13 year civil war. The military stated that troops question and detain individuals when there is reasonable suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity. It rejected allegations of abuse and noted that it does not address specific cases because detainees and their families often do not provide their Syrian government identification numbers.
According to Syrian government officials and United Nations backed investigators, 49 Syrians have been detained since December 2024, with 16 released over the past year. The Syria Justice and Accountability Center, a human rights organization based in Washington, reported that former detainees and relatives alleged ill-treatment or torture. Salma Daoudi, a researcher at the center, said that former detainees described being held in stress positions and threatened at gunpoint.
Al-Abdullah, who was 20 at the time of his detention in June 2025, was stopped at a checkpoint in the village of Ain Thakar. Soldiers asked if he or anyone in his village was affiliated with armed Islamist militant groups. He was placed in handcuffs and shuttled between different detention centers. He described his solitary confinement as having no ventilation and only light, with handcuffs removed for only a few minutes each day to eat. He noted that sleeping was not allowed and that he had to remain seated cross-legged for up to seven days at a time.
Wadih Baker, who is not related to Kinan, was detained in June 2025 while walking in the village of Tranje. He was told he would be released after five minutes but was held for roughly 15 months. Both he and Al-Abdullah said they were held in Ofer Prison near Ramallah in the West Bank and later in Sde Teiman Prison in the Negev Desert. Israel’s Public Defender’s Office has reported severe violence against Palestinian prisoners in these facilities, and numerous organizations have alleged systemic abuse in Israeli detention centers over the last three years.
At least one Syrian was apprehended from the buffer zone before Assad was overthrown. Saddam Saad Eldin was 16 in April 2024 when he was detained while working in an olive grove. His father, Hassan Saad Eldin, said he has no information about his son’s whereabouts and that Israeli troops have prevented him from accessing his farmland in Jabata al-Khashab. He stated that troops bulldozed an area of 10 to 12 dunums of olive groves and demolished a livestock stable. Hassan Saad Eldin said his family are civilians with no external allegiances and worries about his son when hearing accounts of prison abuses from former detainees.
