By Ola Attalah
GAZA
Not only human beings were traumatized by Israel's recent military onslaught on the Gaza Strip, but animals too – even the so-called "King of the Jungle."
Three shell-shocked lions – who were exposed to Israeli bombardments during the 51-day offensive – have been sedated and transported to Jordan for treatment, Shadi Shabat, head of the Palestinian side of the Erez Gaza-Israel border crossing, told Anadolu Agency.
The three lions – two males and a female – were escorted by a veterinarian team from Austrian animals rights group Vier Pfoten ("Four Paws") from northern Gaza's Beesan Zoo to Jordan's Al-Maawa nature reserve.
The Israeli authorities allowed the three lions to head to Jordan through the Erez crossing, which is generally devoted to the movement of individuals between Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Beesan Zoo director Shadi Hamad told AA that the Israeli onslaught had severely damaged the zoo and had led to the death of over 86 animals and hundreds of birds.
"The Four Paws team checked the three lions and recommended their immediate transfer to Jordan for psychological therapy for the trauma caused by the Israeli war," said Hamad.
A fourth female lion was killed by Israeli shelling.
The three lions are expected to receive three months of treatment in Jordan before returning to Gaza, he added.
On July 7, Israel began a weeks-long military offensive against Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.
During 51 days of fierce Israeli bombardment, more than 2,150 Palestinians were killed and nearly 11,000 injured – mostly civilians – while thousands of homes across the coastal strip were damaged or destroyed.
Over the same period, at least 73 Israelis – 68 soldiers and five civilians – were killed by Palestinian fighters or rocket fire.
The onslaught ended late last month with an indefinite cease-fire celebrated by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas as a strategic victory over the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
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