Why did so many civilians flee to Rafah during the 2023–24 ground invasion?

During the 2023–24 Israel-Hamas War, civilians fled to Rafah primarily because it was one of the only areas in the Gaza Strip that had avoided a ground offensive following the Israeli Defense Forces' advancement into the north and later toward Khan Younis.1

As Israeli military operations pushed residents southward throughout the conflict, Rafah became a final refuge for more than half of the Gaza Strip's population. Civilians sought safety there to escape the violence occurring elsewhere in the enclave. This mass displacement resulted in the city becoming severely overcrowded before Israeli forces eventually issued evacuation orders and entered the city in May 2024.12