The family who see saving Gaza's animals as 'our duty'

A heroic family-run animal sanctuary has defied the odds by working around the clock” to save hundreds of animals suffering in Gaza during a year of intense Israeli bombardment.

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

Sulala Animal Rescue volunteer Sa’ed Al-Err says he has helped care for hundreds of animals, including dogs, cats, horses and donkeys, since Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in October last year. Despite having “almost no food” and facing a shortage of medicine since the outbreak of war, Mr Al-Err, 26, and other volunteers work through Christmas, as well as Jewish and Islamic holidays, to rescue the vulnerable animals.

“When the war started, the need to help animals only increased. So our strength increased because this is our duty,” he told The Independent. “We have lost count of the animals we have tried to help. We receive phone calls around the clock from people every day in the Gaza Strip. We see a lot of animals injured under the rubble of war. They have also often been in car accidents or have been hurt by people.