As Israeli forces order the evacuation of Gaza City's one million residents, desperate Palestinians confront an exploitative economy where a single truck ride south costs more than most families possess after two years of war.
According to reporting by Haaretz, the Israeli military's recent evacuation orders for the entirety of Gaza City have created a humanitarian crisis compounded by extraordinary financial exploitation. Transportation from Gaza City to southern areas like Deir al-Balah or Khan Yunis—a distance of just 8-15 miles—now costs up to $2,000 in cash. For those relying on international money transfers, commission fees push the total to nearly $3,900. "Either you pay, or you die trapped in the north," one resident told the Israeli newspaper.
The alternative for those unable to afford Transport is a grueling journey on foot. Jamal Qadir, 34, described his family's six-hour trek along Gaza's Al-Rashid Street, taking turns pushing his elderly mother's wheelchair while carrying their four children. "Sometimes I would push my mother's wheelchair, sometimes my wife would carry one of the children. If one of the kids got tired, we held them for 10 minutes and kept moving. We couldn't stop," he recalled.
The financial burden extends far beyond transportation. Qadir calculates that relocating a single family now exceeds $3,500—with tents alone costing $1,000, up from $500-$800 earlier in the war. Even securing ground space for a tent requires $500, while rental prices for actual housing have soared to $660-790 monthly. Some landlords demand $5,000 cash upfront, with one property owner requesting $450 for an empty shell lacking basic facilities.
This represents a stark contrast to the war's early months, when communities welcomed displaced families with food and water. "Last time, people accepted us with open arms. This time, everyone is waiting for us to pay prices out of this world," Qadir observed, adding a bitter message to profiteering landlords: "Their blood is on the hands of those who have a space or a spare room and are demanding insane prices."
The human toll extends beyond financial hardship. Tasnim, 22, has endured twelve displacements in 23 months. This week, her constant companion—her cat Simon—died from deprivation before the journey. "He didn't survive the lack of food, water, and constant displacement," she said. "If an animal couldn't survive, how can we?"
Some residents refuse to leave despite the risks. Fouad, 29, spent two days returning to Gaza City in January after a previous displacement. "We built these homes from nothing, Israel bombed them, we rebuilt them from nothing, and now they want us to leave," he stated, noting the bitter irony that despite once having steady employment, "now I can't afford a tent or transportation to the south."
UN agencies report that over 856,000 Palestinians have been displaced since March, with 90 percent of Gaza's population lacking adequate shelter, food, and healthcare. As bombs continue falling on Gaza City, those unable to afford evacuation costs remain trapped. At the same time, those who flee face an uncertain future in overcrowded southern areas where exploitation has replaced solidarity.
Photo: Gemini AI