The Gaza Strip is experiencing one of the largest waves of forced displacement in its history. Israel has forced tens of thousands of families leave their homes under the weight of continuous bombing. With the destruction of towers, homes, tents, and shelters, many have found themselves homeless, resorting to living in the open or even next to garbage dumps, in a scene that sums up the scale of the worsening humanitarian disaster.

Displacement does not begin with a family’s decision, but with a moment of bombing that wipes out a home or an entire neighbourhood. Suddenly, civilians find themselves with only one choice: to leave. There is no time to gather their belongings, no safe place to go. Memories are left under the rubble, and fear dominates their faces. It is the beginning of a journey into the unknown.

In just two weeks, more than 1,600 towers and residential buildings were destroyed, along with 13,000 tents. It has left thousands of families homeless on the streets.

Gaza displacement: walking into the unknown

After leaving, a difficult journey begins along dangerous roads. Some families walk on foot, others ride in crowded trucks. However, they all share the same experience: thirst, hunger, and constant anxiety from the bombing that follows them, even on the road.

Every step of the way is a new battle for survival. Children sleep on sidewalks, women drag older people along with them, and fathers carry what remains of their lives on their shoulders. There is not enough water or food to sustain them. Fear of the unknown looms at every stop.

Lost shelter: worn-out tents or the open air

When the displaced arrive in the south, they do not find the safe haven they dream of. The tents that were set up two years ago have worn out. They are no longer fit for habitation. The occupation prevents the entry of temporary homes or new tents, leaving hundreds of thousands without a roof over their heads.

The statistics reveal the scale of the disaster. More than 288,000 families are homeless, and 125,000 tents have been completely worn out. And the occupation has destroyed 273 shelters. The result: hundreds of thousands are crowded into a small geographical area, where there is neither space nor capacity to accommodate such a huge number of people.

Life next to garbage: dignity under threat

In some cases, the displaced have found no place to live but garbage dumps. Amid foul odors, skin diseases, rodents, and insects, families live in conditions unfit for human dignity. Displacement is no longer just the loss of a home, but the loss of the minimum conditions for life.

Amid these conditions, tattered tents near garbage dumps become a ‘temporary home’. There, children are forced to play among filth and the sick must coexist with suffocating odors. The cruel irony is that the search for safety from bombing has led them to live in the midst of health and environmental hazards.

An endless wait: a future without answers amid Gaza’s displacement

After a bitter journey and living in the open or among garbage, the displaced face a painful question: where to go? The future seems uncertain, return is not guaranteed, and the present is fraught with difficulties. Hundreds of thousands live in areas no larger than a few square kilometres. They do so amid daily evacuation orders and scarce aid that barely keeps them alive.

It is a harsh wait, accompanied only by a faint hope that something will change. With each passing day, the feeling grows that displacement is no longer a temporary stop, but a long-term fate that threatens to turn the lives of an entire generation into an open-ended journey of wandering and suffering.

What is happening in Gaza shows that displacement is not just a ‘forced move from one place to another’, but a journey of suffering that begins with bombardment, continues along a desolate road, and ends in places unfit for human habitation. It is a loss of home, memory, dignity, and the most basic necessities of survival.

Feature image via Al Jazeera/Youtube.

By Alaa Shamali

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