The war between Hamas and Israel has resulted in an unforeseen menace: an uptick in the number of feral dogs entering the Israeli territory from Gaza. It’s estimated that about 1,000 strays have fled Gaza and entered Israel since October 2023, when the conflict started.
How feral dogs are entering Israel
When Hamas troops used explosives to destroy the barrier separating Gaza from Israel, this created a perfect opportunity for aggressive packs of stray dogs in Gaza to make their way into Israel. Israeli officials are now concerned that the population of feral dogs may spiral out of control without urgent intervention.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) can’t adequately curb the stray dog menace without permission from the ministries of agriculture and environmental protection. The INPA is now appealing to Israel’s environmental protection minister to secure a permit from the Agriculture Ministry. This permit will allow them (the INPA) to destroy feral dogs outside nature reserves.
These feral dogs are a threat to Israel’s wildlife, military troops, and the public. It’s reported the strays are now hunting down gazelles in Israel’s nature reserves.
Dr. Yehoshua Shkedy, the INPA chief scientist, spoke to Ynet News about the growing problem. He stated: “These dogs are a problem for nature because they prey on any animal they encounter.” He added, “And if they spread diseases, they also pose a danger to human life. We’ve already seen in Bir al-Daj a girl who died from a bite by stray dogs.”
Shockingly, packs of feral dogs are now fearlessly approaching Israeli military troops while displaying overly aggressive behaviors.
As per The Jerusalem Post, the dogs are “growling and baring teeth while approaching and trying to bite the troops.” Thankfully, there have been no reports of any Israel Defense Force soldier being attacked by the feral dogs thus far.
