The devastation in Gaza following the October 7 attack in Israel last year has left thousands of Palestinians dead in over a year. Now, CNN has reported that hungry stray dogs are feeding on the dead bodies.
As per the report, the head of emergency services in northern Gaza, Fares Afana, revealed that there are signs of hunger in the area. “Israeli forces are destroying everything that represents life or signs of life,” Afana said.
He further told CNN that he and his colleagues have got bodies of Palestinians showing signs of scavenging by animals. This scavenging has stifled the efforts to identify the deceased.
“Stray dogs who are hungry are eating these bodies in the street…It makes it difficult for us to identify the bodies,” he further said.
Afana even shared an image of a young boy who had been fed on by strays. Afana stated that “thousands of children” and pregnant women remain trapped in the besieged area, where the Israeli military recently has conducted aerial and ground assaults across three neighborhoods over 12 days.
Starvation in Gaza
The UN has accused the Israeli military of forcing northern Gaza residents to choose between starvation or displacement.
“Civilians are given no choice but to either starve or leave,” Head of the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, said. He added that a lot of “red lines” have been crossed in GazaW. “What might constitute war crimes can still be prevented.”
The Israeli agency responsible for overseeing aid deliveries into Gaza reported that 30 trucks entered the northern region on Monday, emphasising that Israel “is not blocking the entry of humanitarian aid.”
Afana, however, stated that Israeli forces fired at desperate residents searching for food at a UNRWA warehouse on Monday. The situation is deteriorating, he added.
According to UNRWA, an artillery strike at its Jabalya food distribution center on Monday allegedly killed at least 10 people and injured 40 others.