On Tuesday, the Israeli military ordered Gaza City residents to flee to al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, claiming there will be better humanitarian services there and that it would be safer, amid a stated plan to occupy the city and forcibly displace about one million people to the south. At the same time, an Israeli strike killed at least ten people in the so-called al-Mawasi “safe zone”, including seven children, while lining up to get drinking water. Residents of northern Gaza who previously fled Israeli bombardment to the south faced only loss, destruction, and dilapidated shelters, and they are determined not to go through it again. Abu Ahmad, a schoolteacher and father, described months of Israeli assault in Deir al‑Balah in central Gaza: “The experience scarred us for life… leaving is the costliest choice. Staying, however hard, is still the best… To leave now would mean Gaza is gone forever. We will never return. This is what Israel wants.” Fifty-year‑old Abu Adel added, “We didn’t leave the first time, and we won’t leave this time… I could weep for my city if I were to leave it and never see it again.” Palestinians Struggling to Afford Their Own Displacement Journey The cost of displacement is staggering, according to the residents. Marwan Al Souri, who had already fled south and returned, spoke of the burden: “Just transporting furniture to the south costs at least $1,000… Many families like us have decided to stay because they simply cannot afford to flee.” Families must pay over $700 for transport to the south, roughly $1,000 for a tent if one is available, and about 30-40 percent commission to middlemen along the way. Others point out that with limited or no transport options, and dire economic conditions, many simply lack the means to undertake the journey south at all. “We’re going to Deir al-Balah but this trip costs money,” Abed Shaban, a Gaza City resident, told Quds News Network. No Safe Haven and Fear of Permanent Displacement Promised “safe zones” in the south, notably al-Mawasi and Deir al‑Balah, are already overcrowded, under-resourced, and under repeated Israeli attacks. Amal Seyam and other residents note the widespread lack of sanitation, food, and shelter in tent encampments. The south is far from a refuge. It is another bloodbath, a mass death trap for civilians. Aid Groups like the Red Cross and UN have insisted these areas aren’t truly safe or viable for mass displacement. “We will not return to the south of the Gaza Strip. Death is the same here and there. There is no space for anyone in Al‑Mawasi or Deir al‑Balah,” Shaban added. Many Palestinians worry that fleeing will mean losing their city forever. Once displaced, return might become impossible, echoing earlier forced displacements by the Israeli occupation from Rafah, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun. Muhammad Zein al‑Din, arriving in the south, said: “We are fleeing from one death to another… as soon as we reached Mawasi, the Israeli forces bombed the area.” Widespread Collapse of Infrastructure Gaza City has endured near-total devastation, destruction of homes, hospitals, roads, and schools over the 23-months-long genocidal war. Infrastructure across the Strip is crumbling. Southern areas are not exempt. Many shelters have been bombed, with displaced people attacked in supposed “safe zones". Umm Ahmad, having lost her home to bombardment, still refused southward displacement: “We don’t want to die, but we do not fear death… we die a thousand deaths every day.”