Hundreds of thousands of fleeing Gazans sought shelter in one of the biggest mass displacements of the conflict, as Israeli forces advanced into the ruins of the city of Rafah, part of a newly announced “security zone” they intend to seize, Reuters reports.

A day after declaring their intention to capture large swathes of the crowded enclave, Israeli forces pushed into the city on Gaza’s southern edge which had served as a last refuge for people fleeing other areas for much of the conflict.