A charity said “by helping the animals we’re helping the people” as it announced it has treated more than 1,000 donkeys in Gaza in the past six months.

Safe Haven for Donkeys is a charity based in Haywards Heath which set up a donkey sanctuary in Israel 25 years ago after its founder holidayed in the country. The charity now cares for working donkeys in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and parts of Egypt.

The "totally non-political" charity has been working in the West Bank for over a decade and has three mobile veterinary teams which travel to towns across the territory, treating donkeys as well as horses, camels and goats.

UK Operations Director Wendy Ahl said: “We have been wanting to work in Gaza for years but even in peaceful times it was hard to get in and out. We have been in Gaza for six months now.

“The whole population of the Gaza strip has reverted to using donkeys because they don’t have any fuel - people rely on them. The team has treated over 1,000 donkeys alone in the past six months.

“Dr Saif, who runs the work in Gaza, told us about a man he met who had to take his wife to hospital on a donkey to give birth – it’s almost biblical. By helping the animals, we’re helping the people."

The charity currently have one mobile veterinary clinic operating in GazaThe charity currently have one mobile veterinary clinic operating in Gaza (Image: Safe Haven for Donkeys) As well as running a mobile veterinary clinic in Gaza, the charity is, to their knowledge, the only organisation to have successfully delivered food aid for animals into Gaza since the conflict started last October. 

Wendy said: "It took some time as the aid has to wait its turn alongside all the aid for humans but we were so pleased to get several tons of horse/donkey, dog and cat food in during April after waiting since December.  We have another shipment waiting to go in."

You can view the charity's website here.