The Israeli army has declared a temporary pause in its military operation “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” which had primarily focused on occupying Gaza City. This decision came after the Israeli political leadership recommended scaling down offensive operations and restricting them to defensive measures in an attempt to create a suitable atmosphere for negotiations – particularly following Hamas’s positive response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal regarding Gaza.

In the past days, israeli forces had expanded military operations in the city, encircling it completely from all sides and seizing control of entire neighborhoods in the heart of Gaza City, such as Sheikh Radwan, Sabra, and Tal al-Hawa. They relied on a scorched-earth policy, using intensive artillery, aerial, and naval bombardments, along with deploying old armored personnel carriers loaded with tons of explosives used to demolish entire residential neighborhoods and clear the way for ground forces.

The Israeli military operation displaced more than 600,000 of the city’s residents and carried out systematic destruction that Gaza City had not witnessed since October 2023.

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Gaza’s Displacement: A New Form of Death

Israeli forces are carrying out a systematic plan of gradual occupation and “cleansing” of Gaza City’s neighborhoods, killing anyone who refused to leave. At the same time, we also knew that life in tents – stripped of the most basic necessities and overshadowed by the uncertainty of whether we would ever return home – was simply another form of death.

Most Gazans believe that this displacement is the worst thing that has happened to them since the beginning of the war,as Israeli forces have used new and more aggressive methods to expel us – such as detonating explosives-laden robots in residential neighborhoods and using quadcopters to plant landmines on the roofs of homes to demolish them. Added to this are the heavy financial burdens we have never faced in any of our previous displacements: a single tent costs $1,000; renting a piece of land to set it up costs $200; hiring a truck to transport belongings can reach $1,000 due to soaring fuel prices and vehicle maintenance costs; and building a makeshift bathroom can cost $300.

The idea of paying such staggering amounts to leave your beloved home and live in a tent in exile reflects the depth of the oppression and pain we endure – as if our lives are meaningless, as if we are no longer seen as human beings with the right to live with dignity.

The despair we are living through keeps us clinging to the news, scanning for any headlines containing the word “ceasefire.” Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and the Hamas-Israel agreement have become the only things that help us endure the hell of life in tents in the south. We hope that this time the war will truly end forever, that our stay in the south will not last too long like the last time, and that we will be able to return to our homes and live normally – free from bombardment, starvation, and daily killing – like anyone else in the world deserves.

solaf Saim, 44, who was forced to leave her home in Gaza City and now lives in a tent in Deir al-Balah, said, “Leaving my home was like taking my soul away from my body. I never imagined such a horrible scenario.” Saim mentioned that she and her children are eagerly waiting for the announcement of a possible ceasefire so they can return to Gaza City, even tho their home may be destroyed. “Just end the war and return me to my