RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers on Friday allowed a pair of lion cubs en route to a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan back into the Palestinian coastal strip after the animals and their entourage had been stuck for several hours on no-man’s land at a Gaza-Israel border crossing.
Earlier in the day, the cubs — Mona and Max — were taken from Gaza resident Saed Eldin al-Jamal, who had kept them over a year as pets at his family’s home in Rafah, and transported to the Erez crossing with Israel. By the time they reached the border, the Israeli side had closed and the cubs remained on no-man’s land after Hamas refused to let them back into Palestinian territory.
But after several hours, Hamas allowed them back in and the cubs’ entourage checked into a Gaza hotel, together with the lions in crates, to wait there until the Israeli crossing reopens Sunday.
