‘They Killed Us All’ : Druze Woman Describes Murder of Her American Cousin and 6 Other Relatives by Syrian Forces in As-Suwayda
Trapped in her home in As-Suwayda, Syrian pharmacist Hala Saraya recounts the brutal killings of her family and pleads for the world to hear the Druze community's cry for help.
In a desperate and emotional plea to the world, Hala Saraya, a pharmacist from As-Suwayda, Syria, recounted the brutal killing of seven members of her family and the violent assault on her Druze community by Syrian forces aligned with Bedouin fighters. Speaking with The Media Line from her home, where she remains trapped in fear, Hala urged international attention to the atrocities unfolding in her city.
Listen to Hala’s account of the attack and murder of seven of her family members by Syrian forces.
“We are innocent and very polite citizens,” she said. “But we don’t know why they killed us. They killed all of us.”
We don’t have weapons. We are civilized people.
According to Hala, the violence began suddenly on a Sunday evening, when the official army, referred to as the al-Jolani militia, began an unprovoked assault on civilians.
“From Sunday evening … the army and the militia of al-Jolani attacked the innocent people in As-Suwayda,” she said. “We don’t have weapons. We are civilized people.”
They took them … to a place near their house, actually. And they killed them immediately.
At first, many thought the militia were coming to protect them from Bedouin attacks, but by Wednesday, the situation escalated in brutal carnage. That morning, at 7 a.m., al-Jolani forces entered her relatives’ home under the pretense of searching for weapons. “They said, ‘We will not do anything bad to you,'”Hala recalled. But after removing all the men from the house, “they took them … to a place near their house, actually. And they killed them immediately.”
Seven members of the al-Saraya family were murdered. The bodies were discovered the following day, July 17. “It was a horrible way,” she said. “Not just a weapon on you. It was a horrible way.”
He was a quiet boy, a genius. He studied accounting and finance in Oklahoma. He was not a soldier.
Among the dead was Hala’s cousin, Hussam Ghassan Saraya, an American citizen from Oklahoma. “He was a quiet boy, a genius,” she said. “He studied accounting and finance in Oklahoma. He was not a soldier. No way to work with weapons.”
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She said about 20 people had been in the house when the attack occurred. Women were terrorized, and belongings were looted. “They stole whatever they wanted from the house,” she said.
Hala described the broader death toll in As-Suwayda as staggering. “Until now, it’s more than 1,000 killed persons,” she said. “Many of the families had all of their members killed.”
Now trapped in her home, Hala says she cannot even step outside. “There is no safe way. You are in a danger zone from all the borders.”
We are happy Israel helped us
When asked how she felt about Israel’s strikes against strategic Syrian military targets, Hala replied, “We are happy Israel helped us.”
She called for urgent international intervention. “We need UN protection. We can’t fight more,” she said. “It’s not just a post on Facebook … we need real action to save us.”
I have just been given horrific news and videos of what is said to be an American citizen from Oklahoma who has been brutally killed in Syria.
He is Druse.
I have passed it on to a senior State Department official and a Member of Congress to check the facts.
Pray for his…
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 21, 2025
She delivered a heartfelt message to the world: “All we need is peace. Save our children. Save us. Save all of us.”
Hala also pleaded with the media to cover the situation in her community.
We need you as news … as a line to connect to the other world. With the world to connect our voice.
“We need you as news, as a newspaper, as a line to connect to the other world. With the world to connect our voice.”
Richard Grenell, Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions of the United States, posted on X concerning the murder of the American citizen Hussam Ghassan Saraya and stated that a member of Congress and the State Department is confirming details.
