Impact of War in Gaza on Stray Animals: A Socio-Legal Perspective

1. INTRODUCTION

The majority of war reports focus on infrastructure loss, displacement, and casualties. But in the midst of Gaza's destruction, another silent crisis unfolds: the suffering of stray animals. Israeli bombardment, blockades, and the absence of basic necessities have put innocent animals like cats, dogs, donkeys, and birds who were already at risk before the war—at risk of malnutrition, trauma, and death. Their plight is not just a humanitarian footnote but a notable indicator of systemic legal neglect and societal breakdown. 

This blog uses a socio-legal lens to analyses how the war has affected Gaza's stray animals. In addition to highlighting the extent of the destruction and the lack of accountability in Gaza, it argues that recognising animal suffering is not only a matter of compassion but also reveals violations of international humanitarian law, reflects the larger collapse of protective institutions, and demands interdisciplinary legal reforms and immediate humanitarian support.

2. STRAY ANIMALS: THE OVERLOOKED VICTIMS 

Stray animals are commonly exposed to violence and deprivation, victims of starvation and disease, suffering from trauma, with mass death in captivity as a result of a collapsed protection system.

2.1 Exposure to Violence and Deprivation, Starvation and Disease:

Stray animals in Gaza face the same horrors as humans: bombings, starvation, and forced displacement. The Israeli military’s destruction of infrastructure has left animals without food, water, or medical care. Veterinary clinics have been bombed, and rescue efforts are nearly impossible due to siege conditions.  The war has made Gaza into a humanitarian catastrophe and animals are suffering just as severely as humans. With nearly 90% of the population struggling to find food, pets and strays are left to scavenge through rubble or slowly starve. Sulala Animal Rescue, the only organization dedicated to animal welfare in Gaza, has reported heartbreaking scenes such as dogs and cats collapsing from malnutrition, untreated wounds festering, and countless animals dying in silence. Without access to basic supplies like food and medicine, even the most resilient creatures are succumbing to the harsh conditions. 

2.2 Trauma:

The constant roar of explosions and gunfire hasn’t just shattered buildings, it has broken the spirits of Gaza’s animals. Veterinarians and rescuers describe dogs shouting violently, paralyzed by fear, while cats cling to the ruins of homes where their families once lived. These animals aren’t just physically injured, they are traumatized, displaying behaviours akin to PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Many refuse to leave the debris, as if waiting for owners who will never return. The psychological toll of war is often overlooked, but for creatures with no understanding of conflict, the terror is relentless and inescapable.

2.3 Mass Deaths in Captivity:

 Even animals that once had shelter haven’t been spared. Gaza’s zoos, farms, and equestrian centers have been destroyed. At Gaza City’s Zoo, 90% of the animals vanished, some in bombings, others from starvation as keepers fled or were killed. Horses, once symbols of pride and livelihood, now lie dead in their stables or in the streets, their bodies too often left where they fell.

2.4 A Collapsed Protection System:

The plight of Gaza's stray animals is not a singular tragedy; rather, it is a reflection of the complete social breakdown of the region. Bombs have destroyed the urban and natural settings that formerly supported life, turning neighborhoods into wasteland. Raw sewage can flood streets and seep into the ground since water treatment facilities are in ruins. Desperate to stay hydrated, strays unintentionally poison themselves by licking at tainted puddles. The same toxic water that sickens children also kills animals slowly, linking their fates in a vicious cycle of neglect.

This ecological breakdown goes beyond immediate hunger or thirst. With no functioning waste management, mountains of garbage rot in the open, attracting rodents and spreading disease among both humans and animals. Strays weakened by malnutrition now face outbreaks of parvovirus, mange, and respiratory infections, ailments that would be treatable under normal conditions. But "normal" no longer exists in Gaza. The few remaining veterinarians work in makeshift clinics, lacking even basic antibiotics, while rescuers plead for international aid that rarely comes.

Gaza's animals perish due to the same structural flaws that cause its human population to struggle for survival without access to clean water, electricity, or hospitals. Once dependent on market scraps or the generosity of people, strays now roam a landscape devoid of even those bare lifelines. Their misery is a clear sign that the infrastructure has been overburdened and serves as a living example of how war kills not only with guns and bombs but also with the wilful destruction of all that supports life. In the meantime, strays will have less scraps to live on due to the nearly complete loss of cropland (80% of tree cover lost).

3. LEGAL BLIND SPOTS

Even though it's absurd to ask for legal protection for stray animals where the lives of human beings do not matter to the world, we can still find some legal blind spots below.

3.1 International Law’s Failure to Protect Animals in War and the Absence of Direct Legal Status for Animals:

International law has systematically failed to adequately protect animals during armed conflicts, particularly unowned or stray animals, due to the anthropocentric design of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the absence of direct legal status for animals. Even though the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) nominally acknowledge animal protection, however, implementation remains largely nonexistent, especially for animals not classified as “property” or "civilian objects" such as livestock.

The Geneva Conventions primarily focus on minimizing harm to civilians, with animals only receiving incidental protection when categorized as objects either as “military targets”, “components of the environment”, or “cultural property” rather than as sentient beings deserving intrinsic consideration. This legal framework leaves stray animals in a particularly vulnerable position, as they fall into a jurisdictional void, lacking both ownership-based protections and recognition under IHL’s limited environmental provisions. The current system’s deficiencies stem from its failure to account for animal sentience, its reliance on outdated property classifications, and its high thresholds for environmental damage, which rarely trigger meaningful safeguards.

Consequently, animals continue to suffer mass casualties, exploitation as military tools, and ecological devastation during conflicts, underscoring the urgent need for legal reforms that either reinterpret existing norms to include animal welfare or establish new, direct protections under international law.

3.2 Ecocide and Environmental Law:

The Rome Statute recognizes "widespread, long-term environmental damage" as a war crime, yet no legal action has been taken despite Gaza’s ecological devastation, which directly affects animals. Al Mezan, an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental human rights organization based in the occupied Gaza Strip began recording and reportingon the terrible environmental effects of Israel's settler-colonial and apartheid government in Gaza well before October 2023. This encompasses the consequences of frequent, extensive military operations as well as the de-development measures put in place by Israel's 17-year-old siege and embargo of Gaza.  Their sufferings have been overlooked as stray animals are not covered by international humanitarian law or environmental law.

3.3 Accountability Gaps:

Israel’s blockade on Gaza has created severe accountability gaps in the delivery of animal food and veterinary supplies, violating fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) that prohibit the starvation of civilians and their livestock as a method of warfare. The blockade's restrictions on animal feed which forcing Palestinians to repurpose it for human consumption, and denial of veterinary medicines have led to mass livestock deaths, exacerbating food insecurity and disregarding humane treatment obligations under the Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Conventionand the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. Despite the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) rulings on mandating humanitarian access, Israel continues to obstruct aid convoys carrying animal-related supplies, with no meaningful enforcement from the international community.

This systemic obstruction may constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute and a breach of the Genocide Convention, given the deliberate infliction of conditions leading to mass animal and human suffering. The lack of legal recourse for aid groups and the destruction of agricultural infrastructure underscores the urgent need for accountability, including pressure to lift restrictions, enforcement of the ICJ rulings, and investigations into potential IHL violations.

3.3 Why Legal Recognition Matters:

The absence of legal protections for animals reflects a broader failure to hold war perpetrators accountable. If even human rights violations go unchecked, animal suffering remains invisible. Legal scholar Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins argues that dehumanizing rhetoric (e.g., Israeli officials calling Palestinians "animals") reinforces this exclusion, justifying indiscriminate violence against all life in Gaza. 

Filling in the legal void for crimes against animals and the ecocide could close accountability gaps. supports stricter international legislation pertaining to animal welfare and urges governments to reconsider their military and environmental strategies from a more responsible perspective.  This would provide protections for all sentient life affected by war.

4. CALL TO ACTION

To safeguard animals impacted by the violence in Gaza and throughout Palestine, we urgently need both interdisciplinary legal reforms and immediate humanitarian assistance.

4.1 Interdisciplinary Legal Reform:

Bridges between international humanitarian law, environmental law, and animal law are desperately needed in order to: Acknowledge stray animals as sentient, vulnerable beings. Provide them with fundamental protections in the event of armed conflict or environmental damage. Incorporate their well-being into evaluations of ecological effect, environmental damage, and moral warfare tactics.

A strong basis for international legal reform is provided by Islamic law, which places a strong focus on kindness, self-control, and ethical warfare. The mistreatment of animals and destruction of the environment during war are not only ethical concerns but also violations of divine law. Islamic teachings emphasize compassion and accountability toward all living beings. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prohibited the killing of animals without cause, even during armed conflict, and condemned the destruction of trees and natural resources. These principles establish a moral and religious duty to protect life, aligning with calls for legal reforms. Integrating such religious ethics into international discourse can strengthen the moral imperative behind legal accountability for wartime ecocide and animal suffering. Specifically, animal protection during wartime in Islamic law emphasize the humane treatment of animals even in times of war, with specific prohibitions and guidelines reflecting compassion and ethical responsibility:

The Geneva Conventions need to be changed to specifically protect animals in conflict areas. Whether they are wildlife, livestock, or companion animals, these helpless creatures are all too frequently overlooked victims of human conflict. They experience intentional cruelty, famine, displacement, and bombings, and there is no legal system in place to bring those responsible for these crimes accountable. Why do we overlook the same misery imposed on animals if we acknowledge the atrocities of war on humans? The rules of war need to change. By advocating for these reforms, we can guarantee that compassion transcends species boundaries and that conflict-related violence against animals is regarded as a grave transgression. How well the world protects its most vulnerable citizens is a good indicator of its moral development. This isn’t just policy, it’s justice. 

4.2 Aid for Animals:

Animals in Gaza are starving, wounded, abandoned and cut off from even the most basic medical care at this very moment. While human suffering rightly dominates headlines, these voiceless victims of war endure the same bombs, the same siege, and the same collapse of infrastructure. But Israeli invaders are blocking veterinary aid. Medicines, vaccines, and emergency supplies sit stalled at borders while animals die in agony.

This isn’t just about compassion, it’s about persistency. If we accept that all life has value, then aid shouldn’t stop at species lines. Field hospitals for humans exist; why not for the animals caught in the crossfire? Pressure them now:

• Lift restrictions on veterinary aid entering Gaza.

• Fund mobile clinics to treat injuries, disease, and malnutrition.

• Include animals in ceasefire negotiations and humanitarian corridors.

5. CONCLUSION: JUSTICE BEYOND THE HUMAN

The suffering of Gaza’s stray animals is not a secondary issue, it is a lens through which we see the war’s full brutality. Their neglect in international law reflects a hierarchy of compassion that devalues non-human life, reinforcing cycles of violence.

Recognizing animal suffering does not diminish human tragedy; it expands our understanding of justice. If even the most vulnerable beings are acknowledged, perhaps accountability for all war crimes human and environmental will follow. As Neha Vora writes, "Palestine’s trauma is a multispecies trauma. To ignore it is to accept a world where destruction knows no limits.”