IDF soldiers and commanders fight non-stop against Hamas in Gaza. However, sometimes on the battlefields, trapped in the ruins, they also find abandoned animals and try to give them a better future.
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Lieutenant Lihi Agiv, a communications officer in the 12th Division, is serving on the front lines and in the field with the troops. One of the times she entered Gaza she rescued a sweet puppy, which was adopted by another female soldier.
"I was touring with the division commander when I noticed a skinny, scared little puppy that ran to us very shakenly. I have a dog at home so I'm very sensitive to animals. I picked her up and took her with me. We gave her some water and food and I decided she's not staying in Beit Hanoun. As soon as I took her, there were barely any soldiers who didn't want to pet her. People were so crazy about her that they gave her their food. The 12th Division is filled with incredible decency and humanity that you don't see everywhere. We finally decided to call Tigris, the 12th Division's call sign," said LT Lihi.
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Injured owl taken to receive treatment by Israeli Navy officer
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Lieutenant Jonathan, an Israeli Navy officer, saved a small injured owl. While sailing off the coast of Gaza, an owl landed on the deck of the ship. The ship's crew noticed him, fed him and even built him a makeshift cage from equipment that was on the ship. They sailed with him to Haifa and then transferred him to a wildlife hospital in the Safari Zoo in Ramat Gan. After several days the owl recovered and was released into the wild.
Perhaps the most surprising rescue was that of a parrot in Palestine Square in Gaza. The soldiers noticed a colorful bird trapped in the rubble. They freed the parrot from the rubble, gave it water and set it free. Captain Tal, a company commander in the 52nd Battalion, said that "the square is the official symbol of the terrorist organization Hamas. This is the square where the abductees were brought.
During the takeover and raid on the targets, the armored Company F soldiers from the Shaked Battalion, suddenly saw a colorful and impressive parrot trapped in the rubble. They set him free after being imprisoned there for weeks." The parrot, as it turned out, connected with the commander of Company F, Major Tal Attias, and his d, Lieutenant Yoav Sander.
The Shaked Battalion also rescued a local cat that was adopted by a family in Israel. Platoon Commander Lieutenant Eran Admoni said "The battalion was on a mission and the soldiers saw a cat wandering alone among all the vehicles and decided to take her. They gave her a kind of shelter. When the mission was over, they took her back to Israel. The fighters tried to contact people to adopt her, until they found an adoptive family."
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IDF soldiers rescue and care for wandering cat in Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
On Monday, IDF soldiers posted footage of a malnourished lion in a Gaza zoo. The Nature and Parks Authority said that they will act in accordance with the IDF's instructions to rescue the lion when it is deemed possible.