(GAZA) — An animal rescue organization in the Gaza Strip says it is trying to keep alive not only family members amid the Israel-Hamas war, but also hundreds of dogs, cats and donkeys.
“We’ve lost everything, but at least the animals are still with me,” Saeed Al Err, the founder of Sulala Animal Rescue, told ABC News.
Al Err said he and his family, including the animals he can currently care for, have moved three times since October 7, when the Hamas terrorist group, which rules Gaza, launched an unprecedented surprise attack on neighboring Israel. The Israel Defense Forces retaliated with a bombing and siege campaign in Gaza, where more than 2 million Palestinians have now been displaced and are suffering from a lack of food, water and medicine, according to the United Nations.
In Gaza, at least 27,947 people have been killed and 67,459 others injured since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others injured since October 7, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. Meanwhile, at least 564 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, including 227 since the start of ground operations in Gaza, according to the IDF.
Humanitarian groups have warned that the possibility of an “all-out famine” looms across Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the United Nations says almost all residents of the coastal enclave are now dependent on aid in food for sustenance. Some people in northern Gaza told ABC News that they use bird feed instead of flour to avoid starvation. The World Food Program says that about two-thirds of Gaza’s population relied on food aid before the war began and now an estimated 26% face starvation.
“Hunger and diseases have caused enormous hardship for the population of Gaza, including for some of its most vulnerable residents: thousands of livestock,” Annelies Keuleers, who volunteers for Sulala from abroad and talks to Al Err every day, told ABC News.
More than 30 dogs — 20 of which the organization says are disabled — as well as 120 cats and four donkeys are currently in Al Err’s care, he said. But in an overcrowded southern Gaza, where more than half the population has moved following IDF evacuation orders, Al Err says finding space or resources seems impossible.
“There’s not enough space for people,” he told ABC News. “The logistical challenges are enormous.”
Israel, backed by Egypt, has imposed an indefinite blockade on Gaza since Hamas came to power in 2007, restricting the movement of goods and people in and out of the strip. Those restrictions have tightened amid the latest outbreak of war, with Israel saying it must limit Hamas’ access to weapons.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) says Israel gives very few permits to deliver in some areas and intense fighting often makes it too dangerous for aid workers. to make it work. Aid arriving in northern Gaza is particularly restricted, UNRWA said. Israel disputes the criticisms.
Israeli officials deny accusations that they are not getting enough food and aid into Gaza and blame Hamas for stealing the aid. They said they were carrying out necessary inspections on the trucks, and also blamed the UN and other aid agencies for creating logistical bottlenecks.
The UN disputes the claims of Israeli officials, who say, on average, fewer than 200 trucks enter Gaza most days. UN officials say excessive Israeli inspections, as well as arbitrary denials of some aid, often delay deliveries.
Al Err said his rescue organization completely ran out of animal food at the beginning of January and they have not received animal food supplies since October 9.
On New Year’s Eve, a truck containing 2 tons, or about 4,400 pounds, of pet food arranged for Sulala by the Australian animal protection organization Animals Australia arrived at the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing, according to Keuleers . Animals Australia posted about its donation on Instagram in mid-January, writing that it sent “an initial two tonnes [sic] of animal feed and extensive veterinary supplies to the Rafah border.”
“We received news that a truck carrying 2 tons of animal feed and medicine has been approved on the Israeli side and we are expecting it to arrive inside Gaza any day now,” Keuleers told ABC News earlier this month. . “Maybe a month is enough. We are already looking for other donations.”
Right now, Keuleers said they are still waiting for this truck carrying animal supplies to enter Gaza.
“So we are still waiting,” she added.
Animals Australia also told ABC News that the aid they helped arrange for Sulala was stuck at the crossing, saying “increased attacks” in the area “blocked its entry.”
ABC News contacted UNRWA about the truck the Keuleers say they were waiting for, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
Inside Gaza, while they wait for some kind of aid, Al Err said he and his family are looking for a new location for their animals, fearing another possible attack from Israeli forces.
“The army is closing in on us again,” Al Err told ABC News.
Despite the lack of space and resources, Al Err said she continues to rescue more pets. Last week, he said he found a German shepherd from an area whose residents were ordered to evacuate three weeks ago. “The poor guy is hungry, so it’s good that Saeed is with him now,” Keuleers told ABC News when he got the news from Al Err.
Al Err said all eight of his children support his mission. While the elders — Celine, Sa’ed, Mubarak and Mohammad — help him in the fieldwork, he said, the younger ones manage the cats. He said his youngest, 6-year-old Diana, often joined him on “feeding tours” for wild animals when the organization still had food.
“They feed them, clean up after them and especially, they play with them,” Al Err told ABC News.
Before the war, Sulala sheltered more than 400 dogs in northern Gaza, but their family had to leave that shelter early in the conflict, Al Err said. Before fleeing, and with a broken heart, Al Err said, he set the dogs free so they could fend for themselves and find food. Nine of them found their way back to him after 5 miles, he said.
“I’m so happy. It really made my day to see them,” said Al Err. “Some were very thin and I was especially worried about those who were left behind. Others appear healthy. I felt great relief when they reached me, and I also felt hope. Those were the only times during the war that I felt happy.”
Sulala continues to receive donations, but the rescue organization says they are useless if help doesn’t come in. them,” said Al Err.
“The animals depend on me,” he added. “I have no other choice, this is my duty.”
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