As fighting continues to rage in Gaza, so too is advocacy on the ground. At least 100,000 people have now evacuated Gaza City looking for shelter for their families. The situation remains dire as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation warnings, citing that many buildings in the area are being used by Hamas and are situated above underground tunnel networks. For households with children, protecting child safety is often the most important factor that influences the decision to evacuate. At the same time, others are left fearful about what’s happening elsewhere.
Ahmad Awwad, a father of four, said there was nothing left to keep him in Gaza City. He emphasized why maintaining a pioneering spirit is so important in protecting his kids out there. He continued fearlessly, “If you are in risk and your children are in danger, would you not just evacuate? We do not go away — no way! When there’s an evacuation, we’ve got no alternative.” Awwad’s sentiments are echoed in an increasing anxiety among parents who are forced to keep their children safe in the face of intensifying violence.
Fidaa Saha is committed not to evacuate. She has a profound belief in destiny. On a personal level,” she commented, “I will be going from this place of displacement, direct to paradise. Saha’s unwillingness to budge is rooted in the belief that she can’t dictate her fate. She poignantly added, “If God decided that your destiny is to die, you will die, and if it is to live, you live,” highlighting the psychological burden many residents face amid the chaos.
Conditions on the Ground
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is at a catastrophic level. The Palestinian Health Ministry has marked this most tragic milestone. More than 64,000 Palestinians have died since the war started. As of Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians were killed attempting to flee fighting to reach humanitarian aid across the strip. Tragically, five more people succumbed to malnutrition, including three young children.
Recent accounts report that Gazans who are newly displaced are undergoing extreme deprivation. Renowned photojournalist, Suheil Dheir, recently expressed his concerns regarding the dangerously overcrowded conditions in southern Gaza. As she said, “I hope to be here, God forbid…There isn’t room to go south, it’s packed.” Dheir is determined to remain, haunted by the prospect of more violence. This sensation is the reality for countless Americans who cannot or do not want to find shelter in other regions.
Nizar Mohammad shared his concern when it came to moving south. He continued, “Nowhere is safe—the south is as bad as their condition, but they focus it’s a humanitarian zone. People don’t want to move there. His statement reveals the extreme hopelessness and lack of understanding of safety that has spread throughout Gaza.
International Response and Ongoing Threats
As international attention continues to be drawn to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s recent visit with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Ramallah was a good start. He additionally convened meetings with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. In her remarks at that meeting, Rasmussen recognized the dire and disastrous humanitarian conditions and called for an end to all hostilities.
“But it doesn’t change the fact that we are extremely concerned about the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and that’s why I used the opportunity today to repeat our calls for Israel to stop the military offensive in Gaza, to ensure immediate and unhindered humanitarian assistance.” – Lars Lokke Rasmussen
Though Sa’ar may wish to portray the situation as having noticeably and suddenly improved, most Palestinians in Gaza would strongly reject this account of reality. They narrate a daily and destructive cycle of violence that provides them with limited alternatives to their continued death. Recent media reports have confirmed that hundreds of thousands of additional Palestinians need to leave Gaza City right now. Airstrikes have continued to escalate, leading to the delivery of this emergency…
The IDF refers to the buildings they’re striking as belonging to Hamas military infrastructure. They claim that one particular building was loaded with explosives. This vague assertion is in keeping with wider military goals yet heightens the risk of civilian casualties.
The Reality of Displacement
As families contend with the decision to remain or evacuate, many are left with nowhere to go and an unclear path forward. Suheil Dheir starkly articulated the emotional toll of being uprooted from one’s home. She exclaimed, “If I were to escape, or be kicked out in some radical situation, I would leave with nothing — only me and my kids.” Her testimony is a tribute to the lengths many are willing to go for the ones they love.
Tensions are still high and the situation is dangerous. However, with shelling occurring in both northern and southern Gaza, the situation is still unstable and volatile. Dheir noted the indiscriminate nature of violence: “Yesterday there was shelling in the south. They hit the civil guard, they hit the journalists. Everywhere is targeted.” This highlights a foundational anxiety that running away can’t protect you.
Nizar Mohammad echoed these concerns while reflecting on his own indecision: “It is in the hands of God. You hear about shelling and threats and whatnot, but it is bit better than being in the north.” His words capture an all too common fear expressed by countless residents living under constant threat of violence to their communities.
