According to the residents, no one is dealing with the new threat.
By YANIR YAGNA A pack of aggressive dogs in Kibbutz Zikim, August 4, 2024.(photo credit: VIA WALLA/SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)
In Kibbutz Zikim, residents are afraid to leave their homes, and not because of rocket threats. "There's a pack of 20 dogs in front of our house, and I can't go out," a resident of Zikim said.
Ten months after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Kibbutz Zikim is facing a new threat: Aggressive dogs from the Gaza Strip that crossed the fence into the Gaza border communities.
Kibbutz residents are already accustomed to threats coming from Gaza. They say that the dogs that crossed the fence initially arrived at the military bases in the envelope area and, in recent days, have spread to the kibbutz area.
The dogs' medical condition is unknown, with residents reporting that some appear weak and quite sick.
"I left the house this morning, and 20 dogs started barking at me. I ran back home quickly. The dogs are scaring the residents. They bark and look hungry," reported another resident of Zikim.
The new commemorative monument near Kibbutz Zikim. (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)
Nobody is taking care of the dogs
According to the residents, no one is dealing with the new threat.
"The children who returned home after long months are already suffering from trauma and great fears. The last thing we need now is for a dog to attack someone. The dogs escaped in Gaza, wandered around the military bases, and now they have arrived here. They are in the kibbutz area and playgrounds; everyone, especially the children, is afraid to go near them. We issued an instruction to the kindergartens not to go on morning walks for fear that the dogs might harm them."
Sunday morning, after pressure from the residents, the council's dog catcher arrived at the kibbutz.
