A Palestinian boy was killed by a lion in a private menagerie in the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to the police force of the militant Hamas-run coastal territory.
According to police, 6-year-old Hamada Iqtiet scaled the zoo fence in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis and reached an opening in the enclosure before being mauled by the lion. They stated that an investigation was proceeding.
Hamada, who was visiting Asdaa Park with his mother and other family members, according to relatives, had only reached an outer fence when he was attacked by the lion.
It was the first documented animal-related death in the densely populated and impoverished Palestinian territory. Several small private zoos in Gaza house animals in deplorable conditions.
The animals have endured repeated battles between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers and neglect, hunger, and lack of medical attention. Several international animal welfare organizations have evacuated animals, particularly lions, to secure havens in Jordan and Africa.
