In northern Gaza, over a million civilians remain despite relentless bombardment and repeated evacuation threats. Entire families, including hundreds of thousands of children, continue to resist the enforced displacement orders, determined not to abandon their homes and neighbourhoods to an uncertain fate.

The continuing offensive has reduced towers and family houses to rubble, while evacuation calls urge residents to move towards the south. Yet for many, the choice is impossible. Overcrowding, lack of shelter, financial hardship and the fear of permanent exile prevent them from leaving. Those who have moved face misery in areas already straining under the weight of mass displacement.

Despite claims of mass relocations, only a fraction of the population has managed to move south, leaving the vast majority trapped under fire in the north. The devastation of infrastructure, the deliberate targeting of homes, and the use of hunger as a weapon have deepened the crisis. Reports of widespread violations of international law have stirred condemnation, though the global response remains fractured.

Since October 2023, tens of thousands have been killed and the destruction continues without pause. In Gaza’s north, the resilience of those who refuse to be uprooted tells a story not just of survival, but of resistance to erasure. With each passing day, their stand underscores the human cost of a war that offers no path to peace.