Golan Heights attack: Thousands mourn children killed

Thousands gather on Sunday for funerals of children and teenagers killed in a missile attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, as world leaders scramble to contain the political fallout of the attack.

Members of the Druze community wept as they carried the coffin through Majdal Shams, while some shouted angrily at government ministers there, Israeli media reported.

Meanwhile, the White House said the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah carried out the attack that killed 12 people. Israel has also blamed the group. Hezbollah denied responsibility.

On Sunday, world leaders condemned the attack and moved to cool tensions amid fears it could spark war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In response to Saturday’s airstrike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight, and Hezbollah attacked two Israeli military bases on Sunday.

Cross-border fire between the two sides has escalated since Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli sites a day after Hamas launched a rocket attack on Israel on October 7. The Hamas attack triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Hezbollah said it was acting in support of the Palestinians.

Saturday’s attack was the deadliest in and around Israel’s northern border since October.

The attack occurred at a football stadium in Majdal Shams, one of four towns in the Golan Heights that is home to about 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said 10 of the 12 victims were between the ages of 10 and 16 and did not release the ages of the remaining two victims.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed that Hezbollah will “pay a heavy price,” arrived in Israel on Sunday after cutting short a trip to the United States. He is scheduled to meet with his military commanders to assess the situation and approve operational plans.

Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack, but earlier on Saturday claimed responsibility for four other attacks, including one on a military base about 3km (2 miles) away.

At a funeral in Majdal Shams on Sunday, mourning men wearing traditional white hats topped with red heads carried 10 white-covered coffins through crowded streets, AFP reported. Women in black abayas wept as they placed flowers on the coffins. Some mourners carried large photographs of the dead children.

Fadi Mahmud, 48, told AFP that this was the first time Majdal Shams had suffered such a loss in war.

“Our community is very close-knit. These children are like everyone else’s children in the village,” he is reported to have said.

Community anger also erupted at the funeral, with some directing their anger at Israeli government officials who attended, the Times of Israel reported.

“You’re here now? You haven’t been here for ten months!” a man in military uniform reportedly shouted at Housing Minister Nir Barkat and Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman. His comments were met with a standing ovation.

Another person was said to have shouted at Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “We are fed up with your promises!”

In a video posted on social media, booers surrounded Mr Smotrich, cursing and saying “we don’t want him!”, according to a translation by the Times of Israel.

Israeli media reported that a Druze community leader sent a letter asking government ministers not to attend the funeral to avoid turning the tragedy into a “political event”.

The Druze are part of an Arabic-speaking ethnic group based in Lebanon, Syria, the Golan Heights, and northern Israel. In Israel, they have full citizenship and make up about 1.5% of the population.

But most people in the Golan remain loyal to Syria. They can still study and work in Israel, although only those with citizenship can vote and serve in the military.

Much of the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1981.

On Sunday, global leaders spoke out against the strike and warned against escalation, although they had different views on who should be held responsible.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a post on X that Britain “condemns the attack in the Golan Heights which has claimed the lives of at least 12 people” and that Hezbollah “must stop its attacks”.

“We are extremely concerned about the risk of further escalation and destabilization,” said Minister Lammy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington supported Israel’s right to self-defense, adding that “we also do not want to see the conflict escalate”.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib told the BBC he did not think Hezbollah carried out the attack, but added that “it could be the fault of the Israelis or Hezbollah – I don’t know”.

The Lebanese government condemned the violence and called for a ceasefire on all fronts.