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Photos: Gaza Lion cubs fail to survive

November 22, 2013 11:32AM ET

Celebrated by Hamas as a symbol of triumph over hardship, two lion cubs die within days of birth

Topics:
Environment
Animals
Palestine
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Lion cubs Fajr and Sajeel sit in the hands of a worker at a zoo in the Gaza Strip shortly after their birth on Tuesday. After a short life, the cubs died in captivity Thursday.
Lion cubs Fajr and Sajeel sit in the hands of a worker at a zoo in the Gaza Strip shortly after their birth on Tuesday. After a short life, the cubs died in captivity Thursday. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Fajr, the name given to the male, means “dawn” in Arabic. It is also the name used for the long-range rockets that Hamas has fired into Israel. Sajeel, the female, is named for the offensive that Hamas launched against Israel in 2012.
Fajr, the name given to the male, means “dawn” in Arabic. It is also the name used for the long-range rockets that Hamas has fired into Israel. Sajeel, the female, is named for the offensive that Hamas launched against Israel in 2012. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
The parents of the cubs, above, were smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the tunnels connecting it with Egypt in 2009.
The parents of the cubs, above, were smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the tunnels connecting it with Egypt in 2009. Hatem Moussa/AP
Among the reasons zoo officials gave for the death of the cubs was that their mother refused to feed them. Instead, the zookeepers fed them regular milk.
Among the reasons zoo officials gave for the death of the cubs was that their mother refused to feed them. Instead, the zookeepers fed them regular milk. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Zoo officials also blamed the cold November weather and an airstrike that Israel made on an Islamic Jihad training camp near the zoo on Tuesday, frightening the lioness and causing her to stomp on her offspring.
Zoo officials also blamed the cold November weather and an airstrike that Israel made on an Islamic Jihad training camp near the zoo on Tuesday, frightening the lioness and causing her to stomp on her offspring. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
On the day of their birth, Hamas' military wing tweeted that the cubs were “A symbol of beauty, power and strength recently born in the besieged #Gaza Strip.”
On the day of their birth, Hamas' military wing tweeted that the cubs were “A symbol of beauty, power and strength recently born in the besieged #Gaza Strip.” Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images