Gaza's unsung hero: Palestinian man braves war to feed starving cats

By Mohamad Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza Strip, Palestinian Fadel Nabhani, 27, has become a beacon of hope for numerous cats, ensuring their survival despite the dire conditions.

Despite the lack of dedicated cat food, he offers them canned luncheon meat to alleviate their hunger.

Nabhani sits smiling on the roadside, as one of the cats jumps onto his shoulder. Tenderly, he strokes and caresses it, then gently offers it a piece of food.

In recent weeks, the roads of the Gaza Strip have been dotted with the carcasses of dead animals, as well as emaciated cats and dogs scavenging for anything to eat.

"I strive to feed the cats and animals despite the scarcity of food in the Gaza Strip. I don't like to see animals die of hunger,'' Nabhani told Anadolu.

"I used to pet cats, reptiles and turtles before the war, so I strive to keep them from dying,'' he added.

"I made a commitment to myself, as long as I am alive, not to allow cats to die of hunger in Gaza."

He explained "I bought the meat from my own money after seeing cats dying of hunger.''

"As cats needed food, I would go to Deir al-Balah city to bring meat and anything else to feed them and take care of them'', Nabhani said.

He noted that "securing food for animals is difficult as humans search also for it and can barely find something to eat.''

Nabhani tries to treat sick cats with the resources he has, despite the scarcity of medicines.

He dreams of owning his own zoo and hopes that the war, which has devastated both humans and animals, will come to an end.

"In Gaza, animals and humans die out of hunger, the Israeli strikes and destruction. This makes us getting older quickly."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 28,576 and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio