Many Gazans already lived in poverty before the Israeli bombardment. Now, even those with money have found the conflict to be a terrible equaliser as they hunt in vain for shelter and basic supplies, AFP reports.

Since fleeing to the south of Gaza, Mohammed al-Mahdun, 36, has been looking for an apartment in Rafah near the Egyptian border for his two young children and 11 members of his extended family.

He would happily spend $1,000 a month — a small fortune by Gazan standards — but nothing is available.

“We’re not looking for anything fancy … but money has become meaningless,” Mahdun, an accountant, told AFP. Mahdun and his family fled Gaza City after their house was hit by an Israeli strike, he said.

“We came here on a journey of suffering and humiliation that is indescribable and impossible to forget. All the money in the world cannot compensate for what we went through,” he said.