EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip — An ailing parrot in the Gaza Strip received treatment Tuesday from an Israeli animal rights group after its Palestinian owner appealed for help via Facebook.
Abdullah Sharaf told The Associated Press that his African grey parrot, Koki, drank bleach that burned a hole in his throat. He said local veterinarians, ill-equipped to handle specialized cases, suggested his exotic pet be put down.
Unconvinced, Sharaf appealed via Facebook to an animal rights group in central Israel, which agreed to help. The group sent a mobile surgery clinic to the Israel-Gaza frontier and successfully treated the bird at the crossing.
Tuesday’s rescue was coordinated with COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.
An African grey parrot is treated by veterinarians from an Israeli wildlife organization at the Erez crossing on the Israel-Gaza border, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza since the Islamic terror group Hamas seized power from the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. Israel says the restrictions are vital to prevent the smuggling of weapons and military materials into Gaza. Goods arrive at Israeli ports and are trucked into the Palestinian territory. Palestinians in Gaza face severe travel restrictions, making it difficult to get specialized medical treatment.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Hamas, an Islamist terror group, seeks to destroy Israel.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
