Even the most tattered tents are prohibitively expensive. A single tent can cost over a thousand dollars — an impossible sum for people who have already lost their homes and livelihoods.

Some families tried to move south, only to return when they found nothing waiting in the so-called safe zones.

Even the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is “impossible” to evacuate Gaza City “in a way that is safe and dignified under the current conditions”; there is simply not enough space. The Gaza Strip no longer resembles what it was in October 2023, when people could still move and find shelter in cities like Rafah or Khan Younis.

Many people will not leave, not because they want to risk their lives, but because of the numb indifference that follows witnessing genocide. Death has become, for many, the easier and more “affordable” option.

For us, there is no longer even the illusion of choice. The walls are closing in, and we ask not only where we can go, but whether there will be any place left at all.