Hundreds of Druze gather at Syrian border for second day in hopes of reuniting with families

Hundreds of people are gathering for a second day at a border fence separating Israel and Syria near the Druze Israeli city of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights in hopes of reuniting with family on the other side of the frontier.

A man who was among masses of Druze who entered Israel from Syria yesterday says he wants to stay in Israel and not return to Syria, holding his young son who came with him.

Soldiers and police stand near the fence, but most are relaxed, with the atmosphere generally festive.

Many hug and cry as they meet up with cousins and other relatives.

“I just met my uncle,” one young woman says. “We have to take care of them,” she adds of Druze threatened by Syrian regime soldiers.

Sham Hassoun sits near the fence, a bandage visible on her leg, which she says she injured while running into Syria yesterday to find her uncle, who lives in the nearby Druze city of Hader. The two met up and crossed into Israel together, she says.

Women gathered at the fence now say they expect their relatives from Hader to be able to cross into Israel, though it’s unclear if Israel will allow that.

The army says it is preventing people who live in Israel from entering Syria, but an older man named Shufi Hikmat says he is holding out hope of going to visit Hader. “Just to see,” he says.