Israeli army stole donkeys from Gaza; transported them to France

The Israeli army has reportedly stolen hundreds of donkeys from the besieged Gaza Strip, smuggled them to Israel, and transported them to France to prevent their use in reconstruction, Israeli Channel Kan reported. 

According to Kan, the organized looting of dozens of donkeys from the Gaza Strip in coordination with Israeli organisations and the complicity of European institutions, most notably French and Belgian ones.

According to the report, Israeli soldiers have looted the donkeys from areas they invaded within the Gaza Strip, under the pretext of “rescuing them from sickness and neglect”. 

Israeli media reported the looting as a “veterinary rescue operation,” neglecting to mention their Palestinian owners who mainly relied on the animals as an essential means of transportation to escape Israeli genocidal attacks in Gaza. 

Under international law, the forced confiscation of civilian property during an armed conflict is classified as a war crime.

The Kan report revealed that the donkeys collected from Gaza were transferred to an Israeli farm called “Starting Over Sanctuary” in Moshav Harot, south of Tel Aviv, run by Sharon Cohen.

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The farm’s website presents the animals as victims of “psychological trauma”, claiming they need special treatment, without any contact with their original owners or any ownership documents proving the legality of the transfer.

Kan said on 18 May 2025, the first shipment of 58 donkeys left from Ben Gurion Airport to Liège Airport in Belgium, and then to animal shelters in France and Belgium. The shipment was coordinated by the Network for Animals organisation, run by Gloria Davis and Shannon Edwards, and by the Israeli company Orien Cargo.

The complicit shelters include La Tanière – Zoo Refuge, near the French city of Chartres which has warmly welcomed the donkeys and celebrated them as a symbol of “compassion and civility,” presenting each donkey with a “story of escape from hell,” without any reference to their Palestinian origins or owners.