Nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes since Israeli bombardment left much of the territory in ruins. Many are now crammed into the southern city of Rafah, filling street corners and empty lots.
A monkey so skinny that it cannot eat food by itself. Photo: Reuters
At the private zoo run by the Gomaa family, a row of plastic tents is set up near the animal cages and clothes are hung on lines between palm trees. Nearby, a man tries to hand-feed a weak monkey slices of tomato.
Many of those sheltering at the zoo are members of the extended Gomaa family, who live in different areas but have all been brought together here because the conflict has destroyed their homes.
“There are many families that have been completely wiped out,” said Adel Gomaa, who fled Gaza City. “Now all of our families are living with the animals in this zoo.”
Four monkeys have died and a fifth is now so weak that it can no longer feed itself, zoo owner Ahmed Gomaa said. He also fears for his two lion cubs. "We feed them dry bread soaked in water to keep them alive. The situation is really tragic."
A pride of hungry lions in the zoo. Photo: Reuters
The mother of the cubs has lost half her weight since the conflict began, going from a daily diet of chicken to a weekly ration of bread, he added.
A UN-backed report last week warned that Gaza was at risk of famine as its entire population faced crisis levels of hunger. Israel has blockaded Gaza since it began its offensive on the territory.
Although aid has recently been allowed into Gaza, security checks, delivery bottlenecks and difficulty navigating through rubble have hampered supplies. Many Palestinians in Gaza say they are going without food every day.
At the zoo, lionesses and cubs lay listlessly in their cages while children wandered nearby. Sofian Abdeen, a veterinarian who used to work at the zoo, said the animals were dying every day from hunger and disease.
Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)
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