Mohammed Abu Rizq, a 45-year-old Gaza City resident who lost his home in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood months ago, is preparing to move south as heavy Israeli airstrikes continue across the city, in the hope of finding relative safety, News.az reports citing CNN.
Living with his family in a tent at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) school in the western part of Gaza City, Abu Rizq said the incessant airstrikes throughout the day and night have terrified his five children.
Yet he admitted there was no clear destination. "Leaving Gaza City, where we were born, is like the soul leaving the body," he said. "We will go to a new place where we do not know if there is shelter, food, or the basic conditions to survive."
For weeks, Gaza City, the most populated area in the enclave, has been under heavy bombardment. Residential neighborhoods, markets, and public facilities have been severely damaged.
The Israeli military has repeatedly urged Gaza residents to move, with its spokesman Avichay Adraee saying more than 250,000 people have already left, describing the city as a "dangerous combat zone."
But for many, displacement comes with unbearable costs.
Mohammed Omar, a 38-year-old father of three, spent 10 hours to reach the Al-Masha'la area of Deir al-Balah, where he had to rent a 150-square-meter plot of barren land for 250 U.S. dollars per month to pitch a tent.
The journey itself cost him an additional 500 dollars. "There are no basic necessities of life here," he said. "No water, no electricity, no food, and nothing to shield us from the scorching sun."
Local and international organizations have voiced growing concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in the territory. The Gaza Civil Defense Authority warned that many people remain trapped due to injury, illness, or age, putting their lives at direct risk.
"The displacement process is not accessible to everyone, and those left behind are exposed to grave danger," Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the authority, told Xinhua.
The UNRWA has also raised alarms over the strain on its facilities. The agency reported that thousands of Palestinians were leaving Gaza City on foot due to the lack of transport and fuel, and its shelters are overwhelmed, with overcrowding leading to shortages of clean water, food, and sanitation, conditions ripe for disease outbreaks.
At the same time, the Israeli army pressed ahead with its bombardment, destroying on Monday a 16-story commercial-media tower in western Gaza City after leveling dozens of buildings in recent days.
The al-Ghifari Tower, considered one of the city's most prominent commercial and media hubs, housed several offices and media institutions.
Israel's relentless strikes have killed at least 34 people over the past 24 hours, mostly in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities. That brings the total death toll from Israeli attacks since October 2023 to 64,905, the authorities said.
Despite the risks, some families choose to stay. One of them is 55-year-old Suhaila Ishtiwi, who is sheltering with her children and relatives in western Gaza.
"For us, displacement and leaving Gaza City is a journey of death," she told Xinhua while baking bread in a makeshift oven. "Where can we go? There are no shelters, we don't have a tent, and we cannot afford the costs of moving."
