Khan Younis: A Gaza city on its knees, now with a million mouths to feed

A surge of people has flooded into Khan Younis. Hundreds of thousands have fled from the north by whatever means possible - cars when fuel was available, horse-drawn carts if one could be found, or simply on foot if no other options existed.

What they encountered was a city unprepared for its population to double practically overnight. Every room, alley, and street is teeming with men, women, and children, leaving no space for escape.

Hamas reports that 400,000 out of the 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza followed Israel's evacuation order, traveling south down the Salah al-Din Road in the past 48 hours. I, along with my wife and three children, was among them, carrying two days' worth of food.

For many, the looming threat of Israeli bombings and an impending invasion, in response to Gaza militants killing 1,300 in Israel, outweighs Hamas's directive to stay put.

However, in this narrow strip of land, surrounded by blockades and cut off from the rest of the world, choices for relocation are severely limited. Safety is far from assured.

Consequently, a multitude of Gazans, many of whom have already lost their homes to bombings, find themselves here, all disoriented, all fearful, all uncertain about what the future holds.

This city, typically housing 400,000 people, has suddenly swelled to over a million. They have come not only from the north but also from the east, which suffered greatly in the 2014 war. Each and every one of them requires shelter and sustenance, and the duration of their need remains unknown. Critical resources are depleting rapidly in Khan Younis, a city already grappling with exhaustion. The overwhelming influx of people is causing a strain on the city's infrastructure, leading to a deteriorating situation.

The primary hospital, already struggling with limited supplies, has now turned into a sanctuary for those seeking refuge. The corridors are filled with refugees, while doctors tend to new arrivals injured by Israeli airstrikes, creating a cacophony of voices.

It's understandable why people are seeking shelter in hospitals, as they are considered safe havens during times of conflict under international law. However, the available resources are severely limited. Patients receive as little as 300ml of water per day, and refugees have access to even less.

In other parts of Khan Younis, residents are accommodating new arrivals, despite already living in cramped conditions. Some apartments, originally designed for much smaller households, now house 50 to 60 people, an unsustainable situation.

My family, for instance, shares a two-bedroom apartment with four others, leaving minimal personal space. Despite these conditions, we consider ourselves fortunate.

Schools throughout the city are overflowing with families, with countless individuals seeking shelter there. One school, managed by the UN relief agency UNRWA, has every classroom occupied, and balconies are converted into makeshift drying areas for laundry. Mothers and grandmothers cook on park benches in the courtyard while their hungry children wait impatiently.

When all available space is exhausted, people inevitably spill out onto the streets, alleys, and underpasses, living and sleeping in the dirt, dust, and rubble, hoping for a better future that may never come.

The city faces severe shortages of food, fuel, and water, making water stations a lifeline for many. The situation is catastrophic, compounded by regular bombings in the area, which keeps the city in a perpetual state of conflict, with collapsed buildings and rubble lining the streets.

The constant hum of Israeli drones searching for targets is a haunting presence, and the bombings persist, leading to overcrowded morgues and hospitals.

Just this morning, a bomb fell near my family's flat, and the absence of reliable communication made it a daunting task to reach my son.

People cannot endure these conditions, and the impending invasion only adds to the uncertainty. In my experience covering four wars in Gaza, I've never witnessed such dire circumstances. While past conflicts were undoubtedly harsh, the current situation has reached a point where people are at risk of starvation and dehydration.

The sole route out of Gaza, the Rafah crossing into Egypt, remains closed, and opening it is fraught with the potential for a humanitarian catastrophe. One million Gazan refugees are already waiting near Rafah, and once the crossing reopens, it is bound to lead to chaos.

I observed a similar situation in 2014 when thousands sought to escape the war. This time, the outcome could be even more severe, and it is the prospect of such chaos that concerns Egypt.

The flood of humanity would overwhelm the border, resulting in catastrophe and disorder once again.