Thousands pack into southern Gaza amid intensifying combat: Live updates

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Amid intense bombardment and evacuation orders, tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled to Rafah, Gaza's southernmost area, as the Israeli military expands its operations in the region and citizens increasingly face dire living conditions.

According to the United Nations' humanitarian affairs office, at least 100,000 people seeking to be spared from bombardment have escaped into Rafah over the past few days. As of Dec. 20, there were more than 12,000 people per 0.6 miles, making Rafah the most densely populated area in the Gaza Strip.

“People are using any empty space to build shacks,” Juliette Touma, director of communications at UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, told the Associated Press. “Some are sleeping in their cars, and others are sleeping in the open.”