A pastor was among a group of Christians killed in southern Syria by Islamists loyal to the government in Damascus.
Barnabas Aid sources confirm that at least 12 believers - possibly as many as 20 – were killed in this incident.
More than 1,120 people have died in sectarian violence that has raged across Sweida province of southern Syria for over a week.
Pastor Khaled Mazher was among at least 12 - and possibly up to 20 Christians – killed by Sunni Islamists in Sweida, southern Syria [Image credit: Ecumenical News]
The victims included Khaled Mazher, pastor of Sweida’s Church of Jesus the Good Shepherd and a convert to Christianity from the Druze community.
Also murdered were Pastor Khaled’s mother Amira; his disabled father Joudat Hassan; his sister Jihan; his sister Aseel along with her husband Marwan Al-Halabi, and their sons Fadi and Mu’in; his sister Asma along with her husband Yamen Al-Khatib, and their daughters Shahd and Sarah.
“The church, devastated by this loss, calls for urgent prayer,” said Barnabas Aid’s regional expert. “They are appealing to the international community to intervene for the protection of civilians in Sweida and across Syria, and to help end the escalating cycle of violence.”
“Let us stand together in prayer and action for our brothers and sisters in Syria, trusting that God is their refuge and defender,” she added.
Druze, Alawites and Christians killed in Syria sectarian violence
The violence in Sweida first broke out on 13 July between the Sunni-majority Bedouin tribal group and the Druze, an Islamic sect regarded as heretical by many Sunnis.
Syria’s transitional government deployed the Syrian Armed Forces to the region in the days that followed, supposedly to restore peace.
These forces are alleged to have carried out attacks on civilians, including the unlawful execution of 83 Druze as well as the killing of the believers at the Church of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Church leaders criticised the Syrian government’s response to a June suicide bombing in Damascus that left at least 25 dead [Image credit: Ali Haj Suleiman / UNOCHA]
Christians are also among almost 2,000 people displaced by the violence.
The current government of Syria, headed by interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, came to power in December 2024 following a successful armed rebellion.
Al Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, is the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organisation that was formerly affiliated to Al Qaeda.
When he first returned to Syria from Iraq in 2011, al Sharaa worked closely with Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who later declared himself the caliph of Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh). After the split between IS and Al Qaeda in 2014, the HTS remained affiliated to Al Qaeda.
More recently, al Sharaa has sought to present himself as a moderate who will protect religious freedom. However, a Reuters investigation has uncovered evidence that Syrian government forces massacred 1,500 Alawites, another minority group, in western Syria in March 2025. At least 12 Christians were killed during this wave of violence.
Church leaders have also criticised the government for failing to prevent an Islamist suicide bombing on 22 June in Damascus, which claimed the lives of at least 25 worshippers and injured more than 60 during a church service.
How you can pray
Ask our Father to comfort the grieving families of Pastor Khaled Mazher and all those who have lost loved ones in Sweida. Pray that He will strengthen His scattered church, protect those still facing danger, and provide for their basic needs. Ask that He will grant wisdom and courage to those working to bring aid and hope amid this darkness. Pray that there will be peace in this troubled land.
