Rescuing Israel’s ‘Silent Victims’: Animal Sanctuary Becomes Refuge for Pets Orphaned by the War

While Israel’s hostage crisis has ended, an animal sanctuary in the north continues its rescue mission for what it calls the “silent victims” of the war — the dogs, cats, and other pets caught in the crossfire of the conflict.Shanti Farm, located in the northern Israeli coastal town of Atlit, was founded in 2019 by animal advocate Inbal Kessem as a safe haven for abandoned, wounded, or disabled animals of all kinds. That mission became all the more urgent after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 men, women, and children, capturing 250 others, and beginning a deadly war that would last nearly two years.On that day and in the months that followed, hundreds of pets were killed, kidnapped, and abandoned.“During the war, there was no process, we did everything to save as many animals as we could,” one of the farm’s employees, Eden Gimpel, tells the Sun. Since October 7, Shanti Farm has welcomed more than 200 animals — dogs, cats, rabbits, sheep, chickens, “and even two adorable baby pigs, Stacey and Lola,” Ms. Gimpel says. Many of the animals suffer from broken bones, chemical burns from acid, or severe malnourishment. Via Shanti FarmIn dozens of cases, Shanti Farm was able to reunite pets with their original owners. For some animals, however, repatriation is impossible. “Unfortunately, pets from murdered families have also come to us,” Ms. Gimpel says.Such was the case shortly after October 7, when five dogs living in an abandoned building in Sderot were found by Israel Defense Forces soldiers and brought to the farm. The rescue identified that the dogs had chips registered to a man named Nativ Maayan Neve, and posted details about the dogs online in the hopes that the owner would come forward to claim them. After a few days, “we discovered that his body was at the Institute for the Identification of Fallen,” the farm’s founder, Ms. Kessem, told Israel Hayom. Neve, 60, was murdered outside of his home on October 7.Shanti Farm also took in a disabled cat named Fiona, who had been brought to the rescue after her owners, Rimon and Yagev Buchshtav, were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nirim. In a post on Facebook, Ms. Kessem promised the couple that she would “do everything I can for her until you return safely from the terrible captivity. I will protect her, take care of her, and look after her for you. I see how well you cared for her. How much you loved her. The least I can do is take care of Fiona for you.”On October 7, 2023, and in the months that followed, hundreds of pets were killed, kidnapped, and abandoned. Via Shanti FarmRimon was released in November 2023 as part of a deal with Hamas, though her husband was killed in captivity.At the start of the war, many of the animals that arrived at Shanti Farm were found wandering around the kibbutzim in southern Israel that were destroyed during Hamas’s October 7 massacre. As the war progressed, the farm began receiving pets from families in the north who were forced to evacuate due to missile attacks. Strays have also been brought to them from the Gaza periphery.“For us, an animal has no ID, nationality, religion or political beliefs,” Ms. Gimpel says. “We rescue and care for everyone equally.”The animals they bring in often bear both physical and psychological scars. Many suffer from broken bones, chemical burns from acid, or severe malnourishment. “There was a puppy that was rescued by the soldiers from an active bombing zone,” Ms. Gimpel says.A California-based photographer who volunteered at the farm in 2024, Hannah Kozak, recalled meeting a dog named Bella who was “shaking uncontrollably.” She wrote in a blog post: “You know how dogs and cats are traumatized by Fourth of July fireworks every year in the U.S.? Imagine bombs daily for 14 months. It’s the equivalent of the 4th of July every day for the animals, who don’t understand rocket and bomb attacks.”For many animals, trauma from their experiences manifests in aggressive behavior and distrust of humans. Shanti Farm works with dedicated volunteers and trainers who help the traumatized animals until they’re more comfortable with people and, in some cases, adoptable.The war has pushed the sanctuary beyond its limits. With 500 animals spread across 27 dunams — roughly 6.7 acres of land — the farm is at overcapacity but continues to field new requests each week. The farm also faces costly bills from private external veterinary clinics, which it relies on to treat animals that are disabled or chronically ill and require daily medication.The farm hopes to establish an on-site clinic that’s open 24/7 and has plans to expand the facility with 13 dunams of land waiting to be developed. Though as a nonprofit organization without government financial assistance and supported only by public donations, whether the rescue can achieve such goals depends on the success of its fundraising efforts.“All of them deserve the best treatment they can get, and that’s why we’re here,” Ms. Gimpel says. “There’s no reason for them to suffer from human wars.”

Rescuing Israel’s ‘Silent Victims’: Animal Sanctuary Becomes Refuge for Pets Orphaned by the War

Rescuing Israel’s ‘Silent Victims’: Animal Sanctuary Becomes Refuge for Pets Orphaned by the War

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