Ofer argued that Hamas views the civilian population as essential to its strategy—both as human shields and as imagery for propaganda
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
A growing exodus from Gaza City is undermining a key element of Hamas’s war strategy, as residents weary of repeated evacuations, mounting costs, and widespread destruction decide they have little to return to, an Israeli analyst said Monday.
Eyal Ofer, an expert on Hamas’s economy, told Maariv that the scale of departures reflects collapsing morale and a deepening sense of futility among Gaza’s civilians.
Families who once moved back and forth between Gaza and Rafah are now leaving again, often with most of their belongings, convinced their homes will not survive the war.
Ofer pointed to soaring moving costs as evidence of the strain.
Truck fees from Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood to the south have more than doubled in recent days, reaching 3,000–4,000 shekels. Residents cite fuel prices near 100 shekels per liter, with a single round trip requiring around 10 liters, pushing transportation costs alone toward 1,000 shekels.
Housing in the south is also scarce and expensive, with apartments listed at up to 8,000 shekels a month and even tent plots costing 1,000 shekels.
“The social solidarity that still existed in Gaza is disappearing,” Ofer said, describing a situation in which profiteering dominates the market.
He noted that after seeing devastation in neighborhoods like Shejaiya and Rafah, many families no longer believe they will have homes to return to.
Ofer argued that Hamas views the civilian population as essential to its strategy—both as human shields and as imagery for propaganda—but that campaign is faltering.
Despite Hamas-run authorities urging people not to evacuate, using flyers, videos, and threats, many have joined traffic jams of trucks and pedestrians heading south, even as airstrikes hit coastal tent areas.
In previous rounds of fighting, an estimated 350,000 people remained in northern Gaza. Today, Ofer said, about twice that number are crowded into a smaller zone in western Gaza City.
The strategic question, he added, is how many will continue to stay “at any cost.”
“War is first a contest of will,” Ofer said, warning that the steady outflow of civilians further erodes Hamas’leverage.
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