Last week, the Druze community of Majdal Shams gathered to mourn the 12 children killed in the Hezbollah rocket attack on Saturday. Just as the Druze community showed up to mourn in solidarity with Israeli Jews and residents of Israel’s southern border after the October 7 attack, so too Israelis from every sector came to comfort Majdal Shams.
In a central square on Majdal Shams, at the statue of Sultan al-Atrash, the hero of the Druze revolt against the French occupation, a black flag was added beside the sword. Besides the al-Atrash statue are other figures cast by the artist Hassan Khatir from Majdal Shams: a teacher holding books, a Druze mother holding her son who fell in the war, a fighter holding a weapon, and three children.
A week after the statue of the sultan was placed in the square in 1987, several religious residents who opposed the use of statues attempted to blow it up with an explosive device. The device was placed on the sultan’s belly, and in a way that appeared to be an integral part of the artist’s design, it created what looked like a wound in the figure’s abdomen. But the three figures of children remained unharmed, holding a school backpack and a sheaf of wheat.
Majdal Shams’ children of flesh and blood were not so lucky on Saturday when the Hezbollah rocket hit. In addition to the 12 who were killed, at least 42 were injured.
But during the hot hours of the first day of mourning, the shade cast by the statues provided some comfort to the many visitors.
Across from the square where the statue of al-Atrash is placed, crowds filled the community center, where the bereaved families had gathered. Leaders from the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths accompanied members of the Druze community upstairs, where they welcomed thousands of male mourners.
Young men, all dressed in black pants and shirts, handed out small bottles of water with solemn expressions. The announcer read out the names of the Knesset members from the Arab parties who had arrived, and translated into Arabic the words of the Russian ambassador, who, in addition to expressing condolences, said that Russia is a balancing force in the Middle East.
Women were on the first floor, where men were not allowed to enter. The grief on the faces of the young women, many of whom were friends and relatives of the victims, was clear. They clung to each other, both young and old, some with head coverings and most without, not knowing how they will recover from the loss of 12 children in a war whose end no one can foresee.
Lahia Lapid, the wife of former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Yair Lapid, attended the day of mourning. Her husband had visited the community the day before.
“I came as an Israeli mother visiting Israeli mothers,” Lapid told Davar. “To embrace, to be a part, and to show that our hearts are broken.”
Monira and Majid Falach came from the Druze town of Kisra in the western Galilee, about 55 miles from Majdal Shams, to offer their condolences. Standing in the small soccer field that turned into a battlefield, Monira couldn't stop crying.
The Falachs have six children and 11 grandchildren, many of whom have served or are still serving in the Israeli army. According to Israeli conscription law, Israeli men from Israel’s Druze minority are required to serve in the military, unlike other Arab groups who do not serve. (Most of the Druze in Majdal Shams do not serve in the military, since they chose not to take on Israeli citizenship after Israel took over the Golan Heights from Syria.)
One grandson in the eighth grade lives in Majdal Shams and was at the other end of the field when the missile struck. He was not injured in the strike, but during the hours before the Falachs managed to make contact with the family, they were sure he had been killed.
“Woe unto any soldier of ours who would harm an innocent child,” Majid said. “A child is a child. How is it possible?'”
He expressed his appreciation for the solidarity shown by Jews who came to mourn with the community. “After October 7, the Druze took it to heart, went to the south, volunteered to cook and help,” he said. “So it’s good that there are Jews here.”
Majid has military experience from his service in the Six-Day War, during which Israel captured the Golan Heights. He called on the military to take action in order to “establish order in the north.”
“The Lebanese don’t like [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah,” Majdi said. “There is poverty there, and they don’t want him or his way, but he receives orders from Iran.”
As the sun set over Majdal Shams, a stream of mourners continued to pour in. Everyone who comes to Majdal Shams does so with great intention. There is not a single restaurant or other attraction for dozens of miles, and nothing that eases the effort of traveling to what is nearly the northernmost settlement in Israel.
Assi Halaf, a Jewish Israeli from the West Bank settlement of Immanuel, came to Majdal Shams with his three children to mourn with the community.
“We came to offer condolences, first and foremost to show that they are part of the community in the land of Israel, that we share their sorrow,” Halaf said. “Wherever the Druze are, they work together, even in regular [military] service, everything together. We feel their grief and came to pay our respects. It’s like any one of us. One of the goals was to listen to them and honor them. This is a time when we need to listen to each other.”
