Facing the possibility of having to pack up and flee again, Gaza residents have been forced to leave their homes multiple times over more than seven months of Israeli incursion and bombardment. Some Rafah residents are postponing their evacuation, at least for now.
More than 800,000 Palestinians have already fled the southern city of Rafah and surrounding areas in the past three weeks as Israel steps up its military offensive, according to the United Nations, but more than a million have fled what was once considered the safest part of the Gaza Strip, and many remain there.
They are exhausted, they are hungry, and they know their next escape route is unlikely to be safe either. Israel continues to bomb Gaza, even in areas that were previously considered safe.
The Israeli army has been dropping leaflets in eastern Rafah this month telling residents to evacuate, then launching a military offensive, pushing deeper into the city. The UN's highest court appears to have ordered Israel to stop the attacks, but for now, Israel has indicated it will continue.
In western Rafah, some are waiting to see what happens before escaping. Others have fled and returned, unable to find safety or basic necessities in other places.
“The most despicable word I don't want to say or hear is 'displacement,'” Randa Naser Samoud, 30, a mathematics teacher from northern Gaza, said Thursday as Israeli forces advanced into the city center. “Displacement means the loss of value in life, a lot of suffering and pain.”
Samood, her dentist husband and three children have already been evacuated four times and are currently living in a tent near a UN warehouse, but although no evacuation orders have been issued for their area, around three-quarters of the surrounding residents have already fled.
Samood was walking with one of his young sons on Thursday when he saw trucks parked on the road carrying family belongings preparing to flee.
“Evacuation is not an easy topic to talk about or a decision to make,” she said. “I constantly discuss with my husband plans if necessary, but it's still a difficult decision to make.”
Her father suggested they move to a school building in one of the cities where many people are taking refuge, but Samood says the schools converted into shelters are not a good option because of poor sanitation and trash piled up everywhere, and she worries her children will get sick.
Every time Gazans flee, they must start a new life because they can't take much with them, and travel costs can run into the hundreds of dollars.
“The scariest thought in my mind is the moment I have to escape the tent and leave everything I've collected and bought behind,” she said, pointing to the clothes, dishes and food inside the tent.
Ahlam Said Abu Riyala, 40, said she and her family of eight remained in western Rafah after being forced to flee four times due to concerns about water.
For months they have been living in tents just a few steps from the Egyptian border, close enough to talk to Egyptian soldiers on the other side. As Abu Riyala stood outside his tent talking to his neighbors, a water tanker nearby pumped clean drinking water for the displaced people at the camp.
“We are in two minds right now. I say we should evacuate Rafah before it's too late, but my husband says, 'No,'” she said. “But we can't evacuate for many reasons and water is our top priority.”
The sounds of Israeli aerial and ground incursions have them on edge, she said, with the sounds of tanks and, at times, Israeli armed drones broadcasting messages in Arabic saying “safe,” and the sound of dogs barking.
Even if they choose to leave, the costs of such a journey may be beyond their financial means.
“I am mentally, physically and financially exhausted and sick of the word 'displacement,'” she said. “I hate my life and all this suffering.”