The Hebrew site "Walla" quoted soldiers in the Israeli occupation army stationed at the Netzarim corridor, which divides the Gaza Strip into two parts, saying that they "fear stray dogs and hungry rats more than Hamas."

The Hebrew site reported that the soldiers complained of serious health problems in the "corridor" populated around the clock by troops from the 252nd brigade, where there are no toilets in many places, and therefore soldiers defecate in the large settlement outposts in bags or bottles.

The site noted that in the past few weeks, the army brought large garbage containers, as there were large amounts of accumulated garbage, including food, which attracted dogs, cats, and rats in large numbers.

One soldier said, "Every time we asked for a solution to the health disaster, they would say we are taking care of it.. but in practice, they would remove a pile of garbage each time and dig a hole to make way for more."

Officers from the Gaza brigade, familiar with what is happening in the Netzarim corridor, added that there is a need for more organized procedures, including allocating resources, audits, and other enforcement measures, otherwise, this may pose a serious health threat that could worsen the problem and spread diseases.

The site quoted the soldiers as saying that "the presence of a large number of mice and rats in the area searching for food and intruding on the outposts or areas raises the horror of disease spread."

One soldier recounted: "There were also times we woke up to a rat running on our faces! I feel like the high command, immersed in operational matters, forgot that at the end of the operations, the soldier sits scared of the rats more than Hamas members."

Other soldiers pointed out that packs of stray dogs attacked the soldiers, who had to use live ammunition to defend themselves. In one case, soldiers saw a dog carrying a human skull.

Another soldier said that a stray dog attacked him and chased him while he was conducting an evacuation following a military mission.