The White Helmets lost contact with Hamzeh Al-Amareen, Manager of a White Helmets Emergency Response Center, on Wednesday, July 16, at approximately 6:00 PM, while he was on a mission to evacuate a United Nations team in the city of Suwayda at their request.

Hamzeh entered Suwayda around 4:30 PM that day, responding to an emergency evacuation call from the UN team. He was driving a clearly marked Hyundai Staria van bearing the organization’s logo and wearing the official White Helmets uniform.

According to a Suwayda resident who had been in the vehicle and received assistance from Hamzeh, local armed men intercepted the car near the Douar Al-Omran roundabout, forced him out of the vehicle, and took him to an unknown location. They also seized the vehicle.

On Thursday morning, July 17, at 10:00 AM, we briefly made contact through Hamzeh’s phone. The individual who answered stated that Hamzeh was safe. However, no further calls have been answered since, and attempts by the White Helmets to communicate with local factions controlling Suwayda through intermediaries have gone unanswered.

The White Helmets hold these factions fully responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Hamzeh Al-Amareen and demand his immediate and unconditional release. We also warn against the use of the organization’s vehicle in any activities under any circumstances.

Targeting humanitarian workers is a grave violation that threatens life-saving operations and impedes efforts to deliver critical assistance to civilians in Suwayda, communities already in desperate need.

The White Helmets reaffirm our commitment to neutrality and impartiality in serving all Syrians. We call for full respect for humanitarian work and the protection of all humanitarian personnel, medics, and emergency responders, so that life-saving services and emergency aid can continue reaching those who need them most.