Lion cubs Mona and Max walk as children run next to them at Gaza City beach in the northern Gaza Strip, on June 15, 2015. Adel Hana/AP Photo
Lion cubs Mona and Max walk as children run next to them at Gaza City beach in the northern Gaza Strip, on June 15, 2015. Adel Hana/AP Photo
Lion cubs Mona and Max walk as children run next to them at Gaza City beach in the northern Gaza Strip, on June 15, 2015. Adel Hana/AP Photo
Lion cubs Mona and Max walk as children run next to them at Gaza City beach in the northern Gaza Strip, on June 15, 2015. Adel Hana/AP Photo

Lion cubs check into Gaza hotel


  • English
  • Arabic

RAFAH, Gaza Strip // A pair of lion cubs bound for a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan have been forced to stay on in Gaza at least until Sunday after the Erez border crossing with Israel was shut before they got there.

The animals and their entourage were stuck in no-man’s land the crossing for several hours on Friday before Gaza’s Hamas rulers allowed them back into the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli security branch responsible for the crossings said the lions showed up out of the blue after the crossing had closed and without any prior coordination and appropriate preparations, unlike in a previous case involving lions.

The cubs’ handlers checked into a Gaza hotel, with the animals in crates, to wait until the crossing reopens on Sunday.

The lion cubs had been kept for more than a year by Gaza resident Saed Eldin Al Jamal, living as pets at his family’s home in the southern border town of Rafah.

Mr Al Jamal bought the cubs when they were a month old from a zoo in Rafah, after it was hit during last summer’s war between Hamas and Israel.

He said the original owners of the small South Jungle Zoo were worried they eventually would not be able to afford to buy meat to feed the cubs as they grew.

The pair – a female, Mona, and her brother, Max – became well known across the Gaza as Al Jamal took them to parks or the beach, where children who were brave enough would come up to pet them.

His family kept the cubs in their small, one-floor home inside a crowded refugee camp in Rafah, where they quickly became star attractions. Scores of visitors came to see the cubs play with Al Jamal’s sons and grandchildren in the camp’s narrow alleys.

Mr Al Jamal cried on Friday as he gave up the cubs to Amir Khalil from the British charity Four Paws International, which is taking them to Jordan.

His 17-year-old son Ibrahim also burst into tears as he hugged and kissed Mona good-bye before the the cubs left the family home.

Four Paws had been trying for months to convince Mr Al Jamal to hand over the cubs. As time passed and concerns grew that the lions would become too big and attack people, he relented and agreed to “donate” them in return for about US$2,500 (Dh9,183).

The cubs posed a danger to the health and well-being of the Al Jamals, especially the children, and needed a place that was better for them, too, Mr Khalil said.

“A lion living in a flat is not a normal thing,” Mr Khalil said. “The lion doesn’t need to sleep on tiles, but on grass, sand or savanna.”

Last September, he helped to send a trio of scrawny lions from the Al Bisan zoo in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya to the same Jordan sanctuary.

Mr Khalil said there were still more than 45 lions in Gaza, living in makeshift zoos, and even homes, often being looked after by untrained staff.

Most of the zoo animals in Gaza have been hauled into the isolated territory through smuggling tunnels linking the strip with Egypt. In one famous scene captured on film, Gazans used a crane to lift a camel over the border fence by one of its legs as the animal writhed in agony.

Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas seized power there.

* Associated Press

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS

Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Meydan race card

6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m 

6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m 

7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m 

7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB)  $180,000  (T) 1,800m 

8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m 

8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m 

9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m  

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RACECARD%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3E9pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(Dirt)%202%2C000m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E9.30pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%202%2C000m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E10pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Al%20Ain%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Prestige%20(PA)%20Dh100%2C000%20(D)%202%2C000m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E10.30pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C800m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E11pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E11.30pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E12am%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A