A man in south Lebanon cares for pets left behind as residents flee Israeli strikes

BEIRUT (AP) — A canine clings to Hussein Hamza inside a automotive as he pans his digital camera round to indicate the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.

“Poor factor. Take a look at this, he’s clinging to me out of worry,” Hamza says within the video he posted on-line. “A missile hit right here,” he mentioned, his voice shaking.

As Israel pummels southern Lebanon with airstrikes, tens of hundreds of residents are fleeing their properties in worry. However Hamza is staying. His mission is to take care of the canines and different animals left behind.

He runs an animal shelter that homes 200 canines within the village of Kfour. Just lately, he has additionally been driving round cities and villages within the south, on the lookout for stray animals and deserted pets to feed.

“I opened baggage of meals and left them water. I’m counting on God,” mentioned Hamza as he unfold meals a whole bunch of meters away from the shelter he runs, in case the canines want to flee the ability when airstrikes come too shut.

Israel has dramatically stepped up its airstrikes throughout many components of Lebanon, which it says goal Hezbollah and its weapons. Nonetheless over a 1,000 individuals have been killed within the nation up to now two weeks, practically 1 / 4 of them ladies and kids, in accordance with the Lebanese Well being Ministry.

The Lebanese authorities says the preventing might have displaced as much as one million individuals, though the U.N. estimate is round 200,000.

Together with his city below fixed bombardment, Hamza, 56, refused to desert the animals in his care.

Regardless of the hazard, Hamza drives round on the lookout for stray animals and pets left behind by households, a lot of them deserted behind locked gates. He brings them meals, after which posts the movies on-line.

“Come right here, come right here! I acquired you meals,” Hamza referred to as to a canine hiding behind a fence in considered one of his on-line movies. “Not less than unleash your canines,” he pleads with residents in his movies. “The canine homeowners needed to escape on foot and couldn’t take them.”

Within the midst of the chaos, Hamza has turn out to be a lifeline for a lot of who attain out to him, hoping he can get meals to their pets.

“This good man referred to as me, crying. They (the household) left the canines behind the fence, they usually couldn’t take them,” he mentioned. “I simply acquired the canines dry meals.”

Hamza’s journey has been perilous. On a couple of event, he’s narrowly averted airstrikes.

His work extends past canines. “We discovered a rooster on the highway,” Hamza defined in one other clip. “It flew from a pickup truck. I’ll take it residence.”

Hamza’s shelter has attracted assist on-line, permitting him to purchase 200 baggage of pet food to distribute to the canines within the area.

Even so, the hazard retains mounting. “I hope somebody can take some load off my shoulders,” Hamza mentioned as he picked up an aged stray canine off the road and into his automotive.

“God assist individuals. On the time of a strike, individuals lose it and don’t know what to do,” he mentioned whereas dropping off meals and water in distant areas.

With an Israeli floor invasion of south Lebanon trying more and more possible, Hamza worries about what comes subsequent.

However for now, his focus stays on the animals.

“So long as I can attain the canines and depart them meals and water, I can’t depart,” he mentioned. “I’ve a accountability. I can’t depart them.”