Before the war in the Gaza Strip, many Palestinians were already living in great poverty.

Today, even the most affluent end up destitute, their money worthless in this besieged enclave where there is nothing left to buy.

Forced to move by the shelling and subsequent ground offensive by the Israeli army, Mohammed al-Mahdoun, 36, is looking for an apartment in Rafah, at the southernmost end of the enclave, on the border with Egypt.

For his two young children and 11 members of his extended family, he says he is willing to pay $1,000 a month for a shelter, a small fortune for Gazans. But there is nothing to rent.

“We are not looking for something special,” he told AFP in frustration, clarifying that even his comfortable budget is not helping him.

He and his relatives fled Gaza City where their house was hit by an Israeli strike. Due to the lack of fuel, they were forced to abandon their car and took to the streets without carrying anything.

Muhammad al-Mahdoun, however, managed to find winter clothes, with their price being three times the usual price.

“We have arrived here at the end of an indescribable journey of hardships and humiliations, impossible to forget. All the money in the world cannot compensate for what we went through,” he said.

“I feel helpless when my son asks me for something. He asks for chocolate and crisps and I would pay a fortune to please him. Only, that there is nothing.”

Money doesn’t change anything

Gazans left for the south by the tens of thousands, in cars, trucks, horse drawn carts and even on foot. To Rafa, which became a huge camp with tents and makeshift shelters.

The war began with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, triggering an Israeli air and ground offensive that leveled Gaza and killed more than 18,400 people, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. .

According to the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the residents of Gaza have been in “disaster conditions” for several weeks. They have to wait for hours at aid distribution centers to get supplies from the meager supplies of water, food and medicine. However, disease spreads amid poverty, exacerbated by rains and floods.

And money doesn’t change anything.

Abu Khaled, 47, lives day and night with his mother, wife and children in their shiny 4X4. “We sleep in the car,” he explained to AFP. “We parked it next to the hospital to make it easier to go to the toilets.” And he continues, smiling: “We lived in a villa with a swimming pool. Now, we’re on the road.”

Under the table

Samar Mohamed, a 38-year-old teacher, fled to a friend’s house in Rafah with her husband and children, abandoning their 200 square meter apartment in Rafah town.

“My car has been immobilized, parked on the road for over a month, because of the lack of fuel,” he said. “We have money, thank God, but there is nothing in the market.”

Her husband is trying his best to get the family out of Gaza, but Egypt won’t allow it, fearing an influx of refugees who may never be allowed to return. They were told that it was possible to cross the border, provided they paid thousands of dollars under the table.

“We are ready to pay but we haven’t found anyone we can trust enough,” she said.

Now, several well-to-do families also live in the tents.

“Money has become just a piece of paper with no value. Even if you had a million shekels, you wouldn’t be able to protect your family,” said Samar Mohamed. “The rich and the poor live side by side in the tents, eat and drink the same things, and no one feels safe.”