‘Unwilling and unable’: Half of Gaza City refuses to flee as Israeli attacks intensify

Dima Abuaita packed her most precious belongings, along with clothes and mattresses, and placed them by the door of her family’s home in the central Gaza City neighbourhood of Rimal.

For more than a week, she has been searching for affordable transportation to flee to the southern Gaza Strip amid relentless Israeli attacks.

“It’s not that I refuse to save my life and my children’s - it’s that I don’t have a fortune to keep us safe,” Abuaita told Middle East Eye.

“I need around 5,000 shekels ($1,500) just to move my belongings to the central or southern parts of the strip, another 2,000 shekels ($600) for a tent, and then a monthly rent for the land to set it up. I simply cannot afford all that.”

Last month, Israel declared it was going to fully occupy Gaza City and intended to force all Palestinians there and elsewhere in the north - around 1.2 million people altogether - towards the south.

Relentless Israeli attacks since 11 August have forced half of the city’s population out, leaving around half a million remaining as paratroopers backed by tanks push a ground offensive into various neighbourhoods.

Meanwhile, booby-trapped robots and explosive-packed, remote-controlled vehicles have been used to level the city.

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