Exactly two years ago, on 27 July 2024, a rocket fired by Hezbollah struck a children’s soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in northern Israel, killing 12 children and teenagers. One of them was 11-year-old Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din. Today, on the second anniversary of the attack, a new playing field is being inaugurated at the site — a quiet symbol of resilience and remembrance.

The Druze form an Arab ethnoreligious minority of approximately 150,000 people in Israel, concentrated mainly in the north. Their monotheistic faith, which emerged in the 11th century from Ismaili Shiism, is characterised by esoteric teachings, a belief in reincarnation, and strong communal bonds. Within Israel’s pre-1967 borders, the Druze community has long maintained close ties with the state. Many serve in the Israel Defense Forces and share a history of mutual support that dates back to the late 19th century and the 1948 war. 

The roughly 20,000–25,000 Druze living in the Golan Heights — in towns such as Majdal Shams (the largest, with some 11,000–12,000 residents), Mas’ade, Buq’ata and Ein Qiniyye — came under........

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