About 1,000 dogs have taken refuge in the rubble of border towns and then spread into cities and agricultural areas, attacking Israeli soldiers. The army claims that Hamas has trained these dogs.
In areas where Israeli troops have invaded Gaza, a pack of stray dogs approached soldiers, growling and showing their teeth, attempting to attack some of them. Armed troops fired at the animals and killed them. According to Israel's official broadcasting agency "Kan," hundreds of stray dogs in Gaza approached fighters and military officials who were visiting the area. This incident was reported multiple times by different military groups, with soldiers affirming that these animals tried to bite them.
Stray and Hungry Dogs
However, "Kan" reported that no incidents of dog attacks on soldiers have been recorded so far, as troops repelled the animals before they could get close by firing at them. Subsequently, the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority issued a directive to use bullets to scare the dogs away.
Stray dogs were prevalent in Gaza even before the conflict, with the Gaza municipality working to provide shelter for these animals and isolating them in equipped areas. However, due to the ongoing fighting and aerial and artillery strikes, the dogs fled their designated shelters and roamed the streets.
The dogs and all wildlife in Gaza are suffering from food scarcity, especially in the northern part of the territory, which is facing a shortage of food for both humans and animals. This has made them more aggressive and prone to attacking people, including Israeli soldiers invading Gaza.
According to Gaza Municipality spokesperson Hosni Mahna, the stray dogs that escaped their designated shelter have become a danger to the residents of Gaza, but due to the bombardment, they have fled to areas they believe to be safe.
Indeed, the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority confirmed that stray dogs from Gaza have managed to enter the nearby Israeli towns along the border, and they have been increasingly noticeable in the Gaza envelope, with residents reporting their excessive aggression.
According to the Israeli army, it has confirmed that Hamas has a trained dog unit used in the conflict to mislead soldiers, and that the forces are dealing with this as necessary. This has resulted in soldiers having encounters with dogs in Gaza, which has heightened the fears of the Ministry of Agriculture in Tel Aviv regarding the spread of diseases.
