Farewell to the Gaza veterinarian

Lucky

Farewell to Gaza's only veterinarian, who saved and cared for animals forgotten by everyone amid the bombs and rubble. Dr. Mu'ath Abu Rukba was thirty years old, known by all as a man who, amid the rubble, chose life every day.

The doctor had been providing non-stop medical care at Sulala Animal Rescue,

the first and only refuge

in Palestine that saves and heals

stray animals.

A special person

that even when,

with his family,

he found himself in the most desperate circumstances, constantly changing tents

as displaced persons, he did not do

a step back. On the contrary, he continued to put

his knowledge at the service of others. And he dedicated

his life to a mission: to care for and save animals

in a tormented territory

from conflicts, clashes, death, suffering, hunger

and desperation. Through bombs, blackouts, and hunger, he cared for donkeys, horses, dogs, and cats, always with a smile and trust.

to be able to change fate

of his four-legged patients. A man who never remained indifferent, always ready to act and protect every form of life. A man who loved deeply

his profession

and practiced it with humanity, humility and respect, helping at every hour of the day

and hundreds of the night

of animals in difficulty, healing their wounds amidst the horrors

of war and increasingly ghostly landscapes. But last October 19th his body was identified among several corpses and, according to his brother,

the vet would have been located not far from home

his when he was hit.

And even though his body is no longer there, his legacy remains.

Because Mu'ath was not alone

a veterinarian, it was a voice

of resistance, a witness to the strength of those who do not

He surrenders, of those who choose life even when life seems impossible. His name will live among those who chose healing over violence.