Gazans Capture and Slaughter Endangered Whale Shark

Gazans Capture and Slaughter Endangered Whale Shark

It’s been a bad week for endangered species.

Earlier this week, I reported that Democratic Senators’ voting antics were potentially adversely impacting North America’s black-footed ferret population.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, a member of an endangered species known as the whale shark was slaughtered by Gazans, who took a break from filming their joyful slaughtering of fellow human beings to video themselves dismembering the hapless fish.

“Ofek,” the whale shark, died off the coast of Gaza on Friday, according to the environmental conservation organization Sharks in Israel.

He was likely hunted by fishermen from the Gaza Strip or washed ashore.

“Ofek,” named by the conservation organization, was filmed with crowds of Palestinians crowding around it in the area of Khan Yunis, being dragged along the shore by ropes. In Gaza, it was reported that the “largest fish in the world” is about ten meters long.

The whale shark had previously been spotted off the coasts of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Netanya, Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, and other areas along the Mediterranean coastline.

AA Gaza resident said, according to Ynet, “For two years Israel did not allow us to fish – and today, when it was allowed, we managed to catch a fish weighing several tons.”

In recent days, this whale shark was seen off the coasts of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Netanya, Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, and other parts of Israel. The NGO “Sharks in Israel” even gave him a name – Ofek.
Unfortunately, he swam south into Gaza, where they treated him the same way they treated… pic.twitter.com/TO5goINbgL

— raz sauber – רז זאובר (@raz_sauber_) October 17, 2025

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed the whale shark on its Red List of Threatened Species. The species is protected under Israeli law.

The whale shark is classified as an endangered species and is fully protected under Israeli law. Although harmless to humans, it can grow to more than 14 meters and live for over a century. It feeds on plankton and small fish, filtering water through its enormous mouth as it swims slowly through warm seas.

Environmental groups in Israel expressed dismay after the video emerged, noting that the shark had provided a rare opportunity for public awareness about marine life conservation in the eastern Mediterranean. “It’s heartbreaking,” Barash added. “Even if its loss has no ecological consequence, it’s tragic to see such a magnificent animal end this way.”

Many on social media noted symbolism.

💔
A week ago a rare Wale-Shark was spotted on the shores of Israel. This is an endangered species, peaceful and feeds only on Plankton.

Today it reached the shores of Gaza, it only took the Gazans 20 minutes to pull it out of the water and kill it.

What a destructive society.. pic.twitter.com/FcIIQ8Rpzb

— Voice From The East (@EasternVoices) October 17, 2025

Whale sharks mature slowly and can live for over a century, leaving them highly susceptible to human pressures, such as swimming too close to Gaza.

One thing that the team has learned over the past two decades is that whale sharks are highly susceptible to the impact of human activities on the oceans.

“By monitoring them, we’re not just learning about the sharks, we’re learning about ocean health more broadly,” Dr. Meekan said.

“These animals travel thousands of kilometers, so each one is like a sentinel or autonomous sampling unit moving across the Indian Ocean and returning to Ningaloo each year to tell the tale.”

One intriguing aspect about whale sharks climate cultists progressives may want to consider is that they thrive around oil and gas platforms.

Like rolling into a gas station during a road trip, whale sharks use oil and gas rigs as a pit stop during their migrations of thousands of kilometers across the oceans. The human-made structures attract marine life — including the sharks’ favorite snack: plankton. But experts worry that this lure could put the endangered behemoths at risk of ship strike or chemical pollution.

Satellite tracking of whale sharks off the coast of western Australia shows how oil and gas platforms influence the movements of these gentle giants, marine ecologist Ben D’Antonio and colleagues report January 18 in Diversity and Distributions. “As they migrate across the ocean, they are stopping over and moving between features to presumably grab an easy meal before continuing with their migration,” says D’Antonio, of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and University of Western Australia in Perth.

In light of the above information, perhaps leftists should reconsider their blind support of “Palestinians” and their all-consuming hatred of fossil fuels…if they truly value endangered species.

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