A murdered Palestinian mountain gazelle. (Photo courtesy of the Environmental Quality Authority) 

RAMALLAH, Monday, April 13, 2020 (WAFA) - The Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority condemned today the assault on wildlife in the West Bank by killing a number of deer, the Palestinian mountain gazelle, in the Wadi Zarqa nature reserve, near Ramallah.

It said in a press statement that images of the killing of the Palestinian mountain gazelle that appeared on social media comes at a time when the Palestinian government is fighting the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, stressing that it will follow up on this attack and take legal action against the perpetrators.

The Environmental Authority said that the numbers of deer are in great decline due to the encroachments, illegal hunting, construction and cutting of trees in addition to the Israeli occupation policy in destroying natural habitats by continuing with settlement construction in Palestinian mountainous and natural areas.

T.R./M.K.