Majdal Shams residents appeal for peace after deadly Golan Heights strike

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Residents of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have appealed for peace, days after a strike killed 12 children in the town, as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to escalate into a regional war.

"I’m very much in favour of an internationally backed agreement that is clear and protects both sides," Dolan Abu Saleh, head of the local council in the tightly knit Druze-majority town, told The National.

"Everyone here is my family. The 12 dead, the 44 people sitting wounded, they’re all my family."

Mr Abu Saleh said four of those killed were relatives of his.

At the site of the football pitch where the rocket hit on Saturday, damage left by the explosion litters the scene.

Israel says Hezbollah launched the attack, but the Lebanese group denies responsibility.

Wreaths and photos of the dead are tied to a black fence mangled by the blast. On the ground, the uniform green of the AstroTurf suddenly turns to churned up concrete, where the projectile hit. Some blood remains.

Black ribbons on the goalposts at the site of the strike in Majdal Shams. Thomas Helm / The National

At one point three teenage girls in black, all crying, walk on to the pitch holding each other by the shoulders.

Druze black flags to represent mourning flap in the wind, as the snap of cameras and Israeli journalists jostling for interviews with residents and officials add to the sound.

Israel's leaders have sought to embrace the Druze since the attack, but have been met with a mixed response.

After the attack, right-wing members of Israel’s security cabinet showed up in Majdal Shams to mourn, despite a request from Yasser Gadban, a local Druze community leader, for them to stay away.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was met by chants of "murderer" during his visit, while far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has repeatedly called for war against Lebanon, was surrounded by angry locals when he arrived in the area.

Most residents of the Golan Heights did not take Israeli citizenship when Israel annexed the Syrian territory in 1981. They now fear being caught in the crossfire as hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah increase.

“All of the Majdal Shams family lean towards peace. We do not want war or retribution,” Mr Abu Saleh said on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the residents of Majdal Shams on Monday pre-emptively condemned any retaliation.

“The Golan rejects any official incitement and the attempt to exploit the name of Majdal Shams as a political platform at the expense of our children’s blood,” the statement said.

“We reject the shedding of a single drop of blood under the pretext of avenging our children.”

But that appeal appeared to fall on deaf ears.

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said it carried out a strike in Beirut that it claimed was aimed at a Hezbollah commander "responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams".

Israel has largely avoided attacking the Lebanese capital since it began strikes on Lebanon, after Hezbollah opened a second front in support of Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu had promised a "severe" response to the strike on Majdal Shams.

With the risk of war on the horizon, residents of the town remain focused on mourning their loved ones and recovering from the tragedy.

“We do need support. Despite our strength, we will need help dealing with this tragedy,” Mr Abu Saleh said.

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