Amid ongoing bloodshed in southern Syria's Sweida province, where local reports estimate the death toll has surpassed 940, the Health Ministry announced Saturday it is preparing to transfer medical supplies and medications to the province’s last functioning hospital. The ministry said the delivery, initiated at the instruction of Health Minister Uriel Buso, will be carried out “pending approvals from the relevant authorities.” The move follows reports of severe damage to the hospital and a request submitted to Buso on Friday for emergency support. “The goal is to provide assistance to the wounded and ensure the hospital can continue treating casualties,” the ministry said. Fierce fighting continued Saturday in Sweida, a stronghold of Syria’s Druze minority, despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire announced overnight. The truce has so far failed to take hold. New testimonies and footage from Sweida documented atrocities reportedly committed by Sunni Bedouin militiamen against local Druze civilians. Among them were accounts of elderly Druze clerics having their mustaches shaved—an act of religious humiliation by jihadists who consider them apostates. Hospital turned 'mass grave' After hours of intense fighting, Syrian media reported Saturday evening that Bedouin gunmen began withdrawing from the city of Sweida—the capital of the Druze-majority province bearing the same name—as part of a regime-brokered agreement that had yet to be implemented. It remained unclear whether hostilities had fully ceased. Amid the uncertainty, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Sweida, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, issued a public plea to the international community. “We call on the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement to uphold their responsibilities and commitments,” he said, urging them “to stop the terrorism and genocide against the Druze in Sweida and to impose direct international protection on the Druze community in Syria.” Medical staff at Sweida’s central hospital—where Israel is preparing to send emergency aid—reported that the facility’s morgue is now full. Dr. Omar Obeid, who heads the Sweida division at Syria's Order of Physicians, said the facility has received "more than 400 bodies since Monday morning", including women, children and the elderly. "There's no more space in the morgue, the bodies are out on the street" in front of the hospital, he continued. Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv Street clashes erupted throughout the day on Saturday in Sweida between armed Bedouin fighters and local Druze residents. AFP, which has crews on the ground, reported that Bedouin gunmen breached Druze defensive lines and entered the city’s western sector. An AFP correspondent described dozens of homes and vehicles set ablaze and said fighters were seen torching shops after looting them. Thick plumes of smoke were visible across the skyline. Some Bedouin militiamen were seen brandishing rifles and swords, with one displaying a pair of scissors reportedly used to shave the mustaches of Druze sheikhs. As violence escalated, the Health Ministry moved forward with plans to deliver humanitarian aid to the region. On Saturday, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov met with Majdal Shams Mayor Dolan Abu Saleh, local physicians and Ziv Medical Center director Prof. Salman Zarka, who is Druze, to coordinate the shipment of medical equipment and medication to Sweida’s sole remaining hospital. The meeting included doctors from the Druze community who shared firsthand accounts from inside the war-torn province. According to the ministry, the aid will be delivered by Israeli security forces and the IDF. “The brotherhood between Israel and the Druze community is well known and strong," Health Minister Buso said. "No less important, we are determined to strengthen our shared bond of life and stand shoulder to shoulder in all aspects of society. My directive to mobilize the health system quickly in response to the unfolding events in Syria reflects Israel’s commitment not to stand idly by while members of the Druze community, even outside its borders, are under threat.” “In light of Israel’s long-standing commitment to our Druze brothers, as demonstrated over the past week during the events in southern Syria, the Health Ministry is stepping in to provide equipment and medicine to better care for the wounded and sick," Bar Siman-Tov added. "This decision reflects our values and the enduring alliance with the Druze community.” “The Israeli government’s vital intervention, especially from the health sector, comes in response to an attempted extermination of the Druze community," Prof. Zarka of Ziv Medical Center said. "This is a profoundly important step, driven by painful lessons and a clear warning. Our shared cry to assist patients and medical staff everywhere reflects our human values that guide the health system daily. Providing medical aid to the wounded is the need of the hour and a mission that saves lives.” Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Telegram