Syrian Eid Return: Families Back Home After Displacement
After nearly a decade in a syrian displacement camp, one family’s homecoming to al-Qaryatayn brings both joy and hardship, marking a poignant moment ahead of Eid al-Adha. Witness the family of Yasmine al-Saleh return to their war-scarred home after enduring the severe conditions of the Rukban Syrian displacement camp.News Directory 3 reports on the emotional reunion and the struggles these families face, including poverty and the need for humanitarian aid and reconstruction. Facing an uncertain future marked by the ongoing Syrian conflict, learn how Islamic Relief USA and others are assisting in this vital recovery. Discover what’s next for these resilient individuals.
Family’s Long Journey Home: Syrian Family Returns After Years in Displacement Camp
Updated June 07,2025
For Yasmine al-Saleh,this year brings a double festivity: Eid al-Adha and the homecoming of her family after nine years in a displacement camp in the Syrian desert. Despite the war-scarred landscape of al-Qaryatayn, their hometown in eastern Homs province, al-Saleh expresses immense joy.
“Words can’t describe the happiness when I first stepped into my house,” al-Saleh said, tearfully adding that despite the destruction and financial struggles, her house remains her castle. The final evacuation from Rukban, a camp near the Jordan-Iraq-Syria border, occurred last month. This camp once housed tens of thousands fleeing Daesh and airstrikes since 2015.
rukban’s conditions were notably severe among the manny displacement camps across Syria. Isolated and surrounded by Assad-controlled territory, it was sealed off by Jordan after a 2016 Daesh attack. The Syrian displacement camp lacked regular aid, with essentials available only through smuggling at high prices and minimal medical care.al-Saleh recalled fearing death during childbirth in the camp.
In recent years, the U.S.Army facilitated some aid. Lt. Col. Ryan Harty, stationed at al-Tanf garrison in 2024, described the “horrid” conditions, with shortages of medical care, food, and water. Maj. bo Daniels, chief of civil affairs at al-tanf in 2023, helped classify doctors as “humanitarian aid,” enabling their transport to the camp. Daniels called his work in Rukban ”the proudest thing I’ve ever done in my military career.”
Amnesty International previously condemned the Syrian government’s siege and criticized the U.S. government’s limited efforts to improve conditions. Many residents risked arrest to leave for government-held territory. Following Assad’s fall, an exodus occurred, but some, like al-Saleh’s family, remained due to lack of funds.
Islamic Relief USA funded the return of 564 people last month. The Syrian Emergency Task Force hailed the repatriation as the end of the “tragedy of Rukban.” For some,like bakir al-Najim,the return is bittersweet,celebrating Eid al-Adha in their hometown but facing poverty and unemployment. Ahmed Shehata, CEO of Islamic Relief USA, noted the struggle to find funding for returning refugees due to recent U.S. foreign aid cuts. His organization is discussing aid allocation with UNHCR.
“When I first stepped into my house – words can’t describe the happiness,” she said tearfully. “Even though it’s destroyed,we have no money,we’re hungry,in debt,my husband is old and can’t work,and I have children – it’s still a castle to me.”
Al-Saleh emphasized that her family’s current difficulties are nothing compared to their time in Rukban. “Rukban was a death camp,” she said.
What’s next
as families like al-Saleh’s begin to rebuild their lives in al-Qaryatayn, the focus shifts to securing long-term humanitarian aid and addressing the challenges of poverty and reconstruction in the war-torn region. The Syrian conflict has left lasting scars,but the resilience of these returning families offers a glimmer of hope.