Gaza zoo struggles to keep animals alive amid ongoing conflict

Mahmoud Gomaa, who previously operated a zoo in Rafah, was forced to abandon his facility when Israeli troops occupied part of the city in 2024. He spent months transporting the few surviving animals to various locations before establishing a new site near the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza earlier in 2026. The reopened zoo offers a rare diversion for local children, though the lion inside barely looks up and many animals appear weakened by limited supplies of frozen meat, according to veterinarian Nidal Fadel.

The conflict has also directly claimed the lives of crocodiles and ostriches left behind, leaving only their bones behind. Veterinarian Amir Khalil warns that constant bombings cause severe stress for the captive wildlife. While Israel’s military has not commented on the impact to civilian facilities, the zoo remains a fragile oasis amid regular airstrikes and a tenuous ceasefire.