Ruptly
"To entertain themselves and their children after years of war in the Strip, residents of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza flocked to a local zoo during Eid al-Adha, amid scaled-back festival celebrations. Footage filmed on Friday shows families interacting with monkeys and parrots, and looking at lions in cages. Park keeper Mahmoud Jumaa explained that opening the zoo was intended to bring joy to local children and generate income for the owners, who have covered the animals' expenses out of their own pockets for three years. "I used to have 15 lions, and now only three remain. I used to have 100 monkeys, and now only 20 remain. I also had 17 parrots, and now only six remain. All because of the bombing and the repeated displacement," Jumaa said. One visitor, Umm Ali, expressed her delight at the outing. "We wanted to bring the children out for a change of scenery," she said, noting that children born during the war "don't know much about these animals". She added that her granddaughter had insisted on seeing the lions in person after only ever seeing them in picture books. The conflict in Gaza has devastated infrastructure, destroying the public parks and leisure facilities that once provided a respite for families. Animals in the Strip have also faced horrific conditions. Severe shortages of food, medicine, and veterinary care have caused health standards to plunge and led to widespread animal deaths, despite local efforts to preserve the survivors. In January, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of the second phase of Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which outlines a transition from a ceasefire to disarmament, the formation of a technocratic administration, and the beginning of reconstruction."
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