KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The continual displacement faced by Palestinians in Gaza due to extensive new evacuation orders from Israel has left many exhausted and hopeless. People are packing up what little they can carry and searching for new places to find shelter, while some are too overwhelmed to even consider moving again.
For Ihab Suliman and his family, being forced to leave their home in Jabaliya in northern Gaza is all too familiar. Having already fled eight times during the 18-month conflict, Suliman shares the despair felt by many. “There is no longer any taste to life,” Suliman laments. “Life and death have become one and the same for us.” He and thousands of others have been displaced repeatedly as the conflict continues to escalate following the end of a temporary ceasefire on March 18.
Some Palestinians have chosen to disregard the evacuation orders due to the sheer exhaustion of constant movement. Rosalia Bollen from UNICEF notes the profound physical and mental toll this has taken on both children and adults. With no new supplies being allowed into Gaza, aid organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to provide basic necessities like tents and shelter for those who have been displaced.
The current evacuation orders cover significant portions of the Gaza Strip, encompassing many regions in Gaza City and other towns both in the north and south. Since the ceasefire ended, over 140,000 people have been displaced again, with countless others fleeing under evacuation orders. With little to no belongings and diminished transportation resources due to a shortage of fuel, many families are struggling to escape yet another time.
Suliman and his family have found a temporary refuge in an apartment in the town of Deir al-Balah, although they are struggling with no electricity or consistent aid, and have limited access to water. For Hanadi Dahoud, who fled from Rafah, the struggle to secure basic necessities adds to the ongoing hardship. “Where do we go?” she questions. “We just want to live. We are tired.”
The recent ceasefire had brought hope to many as they returned to their neighborhoods, even if nothing but rubble awaited them. Unfortunately, the renewal of hostilities represents yet another chapter in a conflict that has affected nearly everyone in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the fighting began.
The scarcity of shelter is a pressing issue. Overcrowded facilities are being forced to turn people away, and available tents have become scarce due to blocked supplies, according to Shaina Low from the Norwegian Refugee Council. Returning to southern Gaza, many residents are met with little more than barren land, struggling to find anything to shield against the cold nights.
The situation is dire, with more than a million people in need of tents while others require materials to fortify their provisional shelters. Relocating services like medical facilities remains a monumental challenge for both aid workers and the families they serve. Bollen highlights these difficulties, which are compounded by their own safety concerns.
People like Khaled Abu Tair find themselves improvising with whatever resources they can muster, often using makeshift carts and materials to create temporary homes on city streets.
Some residents of Gaza, like Sara Hegy, have chosen to stay despite the orders to evacuate. Overwhelmed by the thought of starting anew after so many disruptions, Hegy and others like her are steeling themselves against potential future displacements. For Noor Abu Mariam, who has been displaced multiple times, the idea of moving once more is unbearable.
Khaled contributed reporting from Cairo.