At Gaza's only animal shelter, workers share what food they have with hungry dogs and cats

A humble shelter operating out of a tent remains the last beacon of hope for the injured and hungry animal population in war-ravaged Gaza, even as its workers and volunteers face their own impossible conditions.“You cannot look at a creature that trusts you and eat in front of it without sharing,” Saeed Al-Aar, who founded the Sulala Animal Rescue shelter in 2006, told NBC News last month

A humble shelter operating out of a tent remains the last beacon of hope for the injured and hungry animal population in war-ravaged Gaza, even as its workers and volunteers face their own impossible conditions.

“You cannot look at a creature that trusts you and eat in front of it without sharing,” Saeed Al-Aar, who founded the Sulala Animal Rescue shelter in 2006, told NBC News last month.

Despite bombs raining down and a lack of tools, feed and medicine, the shelter has remained operational throughout the two-year conflict, working to help emaciated and injured dogs, cats, donkeys and horses.

At the shelter’s site in Deir al-Balah, several dogs with three legs are among the animals running around, a stark reminder of the toll that the war has taken. In a large tent, veterinarians and volunteers work together to place an IV into the leg of a small, whimpering puppy.

Dr. Hossam Mortaja, one of the few remaining veterinarians in Gaza, is often forced to improvise, using expired medicines or human drugs like amoxicillin when veterinary supplies run dry.