Houssein Hamze was sleeping in his home one night when he woke up to the sound of a dog barking. Alarmed, he got up to check on the dog, his first rescue pet and moments later, a bomb dropped next to his home with a piece of shrapnel landing just where he had been sleeping moments earlier. The attack was a part of Israel’s 2006 war against Hezbollah and Hamze had just escaped death by mere seconds. “I swear to god, he really saved me from death. Animals always possess a sixth sense we don’t have,” he said to The Guardian.Twenty years and two wars later, the 57-year-old is still repaying his debt to the dog who saved his life. Soon after the near-death experience, Hamze founded the Mashala shelter in the village of Zefta, south Lebanon in order to take care of the animals in the area. In normal times he takes in strays, and in wartime he is the only lifeline for animals in the area.The donation-supported farm hosts an eclectic collection of rescues. Along with 200 dogs, Hamze has even saved two camels, horses, ravens, chickens and geese. “This is Jamoola and her son, Jamool. She is so sweet. When I don’t visit for more than two days, she starts to cry. And when I come back, she wraps her neck around me as if she’s hugging me,” he said of the two camels, he rescued from the Bekaa valley last year.
Aid during wartime
He stayed back to take care of the animals, despite the consistent risk of death by Israeli drone and airstrikes.
Hamze was one of the about 20 people who stayed behind in his village during the last Hezbollah-Israel war, which started on March 2nd, 2026 and forced about a quarter of Lebanon’s population to flee their homes. He stayed back to take care of the animals, despite the consistent risk of death by Israeli drone and airstrikes. “Many people fled and left their animals behind during their displacement, some of them left their animals tied up. We would go out, untie them and leave them water,” said Hamze. He pointed to one dog he rescued, Lulu, who lost a chunk of her tail in an airstrike and for whom he has been caring ever since. About 50 dogs came to the shelter during the war by themselves, seeking out food.During the conflict, Hamze would make daily rounds in his beaten-up truck, distributing dry food to the abandoned dogs and livestock in the villages of south Lebanon. It was not easy to deal with the work amid attacks and tensions. He would often have to carry jerrycans of water long distances to dogs in more remote areas. On several occasions, airstrikes hit a building next to where he was working. Once he even stumbled upon the corpse of a man recently struck by a drone strike. “By the end, all the dogs knew me. I would beep and they would come running,” he said.He would travel between villages despite an Israeli drone hovering above his head, watching his every move. He stuck the ‘Mashala’ shelter sign on the roof of the car so the drone could identify him. All because, there was no sure bet and drones would regularly strike people in the area, ranging from Hezbollah fighters to medics to his friend who went back to get clothes from their home. “I wasn’t afraid for myself. I was only afraid for the animals. I kept thinking: if I die, who will look after them? They would be lost,” he said.
A local celebrity
Videos of him braving drones to feed dogs went viral over the internet and prompted an outpouring of donations from across the globe.
His work during the war made him somewhat of a local celebrity. Videos of him braving drones to feed dogs went viral over the internet and prompted an outpouring of donations from across the globe. He is still famous in the village though. His farm is difficult to find, but ask someone and they will guide you.Since a ceasefire in June ended most of the fighting in Lebanon, life has almost gone back to normal for Hamze and his animals in the shelter. Now, he is back to more mundane tasks like repairing irrigation tubing chewed on by dogs and chasing animals to give them their tick treatments.But being the person he is, he is still helping in rescue work. As displaced people return to their homes, they have begun calling him to assist with animal rescues. “The assistance is really not enough. But thank God, we made it through the most dangerous period. I was on my own, there wasn’t a single day when you could stop working and rest. I felt completely drained,” he said.Currently, he hopes that one day the shelter would not be necessary and people would value animals as much as they do humans. “The conclusion is this: if you don’t have compassion for animals, you won’t have compassion for human beings. Believe me,” Hamze said.
