A life of fear Desperation deepens as thousands flee Rafah

Soaring above the rows of tents 10 deep on the dunes stretching back from the Mediterranean is a reminder of better times in Gaza: a ferris wheel. Now the cafes, paths and miniature train of the Asda'a amusement park are obscured by hundreds of shelters recently put up by some of the half a million newly displaced Palestinians who have made their way to this sandy strip of coastline near the city of Khan Younis to escape new fighting in both the north and south of the territory.

- Malak A Tantesh, Jason Burke

Massa Al-Arbeed, 10, had only just arrived from Gaza City with her brother and mother.

"We have had to leave a lot behind because this is perhaps the sixth time we have moved," Massa told the Guardian. "So I'm just sitting here. There are no games or dolls to play with, or even a house to take shelter in, and because we move a lot, I've lost touch with all my friends and now I don't know anything about them." Always anxious, sometimes injured or sick, frequently hungry and thirsty, most of the inhabitants of the tented city that has risen among the dunes and scrubby fields are seeking shelter from the relentless Israeli offensive that has now reached Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza.

Another 100,000 have moved from northern Gaza, where a series of Israeli operations targeting Hamas fighters who have moved back into parts cleared earlier in the war began at the weekend. All are complying with instructions broadcast through leaflets, phone calls and social media to evacuate dozens of numbered neighbourhoods.

Though Israeli officials have claimed "international humanitarian aid will be provided as needed" for the vast numbers of displaced, the reality is very different.

Many have to walk long distances to get any water at all, and cannot afford sufficient food. A kilogram of sugar now costs $12, about six times more than before Israel launched its offensive on Rafah a week ago. The price of salt and coffee has increased tenfold, though that of flour has remained stable. One problem is a lack of cash. Banks are shut, and few have any reserves left.