Gaza War Leaves Zoo Animals Malnourished and Traumatized in Nuseirat
Reporting based primarily on jpost.com.
The Gaza war has taken a severe toll on zoo animals, with many dying from malnutrition, abandonment, or direct effects of conflict, while surviving animals suffer trauma and inadequate care despite efforts by keepers like Mahmoud Gomaa. Municipal records show that there were a number of zoos in Gaza before the Israel-Hamas war erupted, displaying exotic and wild animals, including lions and eagles. [1]
Impact of the Gaza War on Zoo Animals
The Gaza war has left many zoo animals malnourished and weakened by shortages of food, medicine, and vaccines. [1] Animals face enormous challenges in a territory struggling to feed its human population, with owners currently feeding them frozen meat. [1] This situation stems from the broader destruction that has lasted nearly three years. [1] Municipal records show that there were a number of zoos in Gaza before the Israel-Hamas war erupted, displaying exotic and wild animals, including lions and eagles. [1] The animals themselves are bearing the brunt of the war, sometimes directly, as bombing and constant conflict create enormous stress and fear. [1]
Zookeeper Efforts to Save Animals
Zookeeper Mahmoud Gomaa moved surviving animals from Rafah to Nuseirat after fleeing in 2024, reopening a zoo to provide some relief for traumatized children amid nearly three years of destruction. [1] In the beginning of the war, people were looking for a way to survive, and Gomaa said he was looking for a way to save the animals more than saving himself. [1] He originally ran the attraction in the southern city of Rafah but had to flee in 2024. [1] As the Israel-Hamas war raged, he moved the surviving animals from town to town before finding a place in Nuseirat in central Gaza earlier this year. [1] There he reopened the zoo, hoping to give traumatized youngsters something to enjoy after nearly three years of destruction. [1]
Malnourished zoo animals suffer trauma from Gaza war shortages and conflict in Nuseirat. — Source: reliefweb
Conditions at the Nuseirat Zoo
As children walked into the zoo near Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, they found a lion barely looking back at them through the bars of its cage and chimpanzees sitting listlessly in their enclosure. [1] Many of the animals were malnourished, weakened by shortages of food, medicine, and vaccines, but they were still alive largely thanks to the efforts of zoo owner Mahmoud Gomaa. [1] In Nuseirat the surviving lion barely looked up at the visitors, but the children had better luck with some of the other animals, letting parrots ride on their shoulders and petting smaller monkeys. [1] It was a rare chance to relax in an enclave still facing regular airstrikes against Hamas despite a fragile ceasefire. [1] Owners are currently feeding them frozen meat, which veterinarian Nidal Fadel said is a wrong nutritional plan because in nature they eat fresh prey. [1]
Losses from the Rafah Zoo
When Gomaa fled Rafah, he said he had to leave behind three lions, several crocodiles, and some African ostriches. [1] A few months later Gomaa returned and claimed he only found the bones of the crocodiles and the ostriches. [1] Those three lions, which he had locked in their cages, had disappeared. [1] Zookeeper returned to find animal bones after he originally ran the attraction in the southern city of Rafah but had to flee in 2024. [1] Municipal records show that there were a number of zoos in Gaza before the Israel-Hamas war erupted, displaying exotic and wild animals, including lions and eagles. [1]
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Veterinary and Expert Concerns
Veterinarian Nidal Fadel said owners are currently feeding them frozen meat, which is a wrong nutritional plan because in nature they eat fresh prey. [1] Amir Khalil, a veterinarian who has led several trips to Gaza by the animal welfare organization Four Paws and rescued other zoos' animals, said lions can detect sounds and disturbances that humans may not notice. [1] Bombing and constant conflict create enormous stress and fear for them. [1] Anyone trying to keep a zoo open now faces enormous challenges, vets and animal experts said, not least in getting food in a territory struggling to feed its human population. [1] The animals themselves are bearing the brunt of the war, sometimes directly. [1]
Broader Context of the Ongoing Conflict
It was a rare chance to relax in an enclave still facing regular airstrikes against Hamas despite a fragile ceasefire. [1] Israel's military, which says its attacks are aimed at Hamas terrorist targets, did not immediately respond to questions about the conflict's impact on civilian facilities like zoos and their animals. [1] The reported impact snapshot for the Gaza Strip as of 12 August 2026 at 15:00 notes that casualty numbers have been provided by the Ministry of Health and the Israeli authorities, with the fatality breakdowns cited as those the MoH in Gaza has fully identified as of 31 December 2025 out of the higher number of casualties they report. [2] Figures that are yet to be verified by the UN are attributed to their source. [2]
What to watch next: The enclave still faces regular airstrikes against Hamas despite a fragile ceasefire, with Israel's military saying its attacks are aimed at Hamas terrorist targets.
