Satellite photos of crowds trying to flee Gaza shows the unimaginable scale of the crisis

Palestinians from the north end of Gaza have been sheltering in the south, and now many in the south have been ordered to evacuate.

• Crowds of Palestinians trying to flee southern Gaza can be seen from space.
• Israel ordered parts of the southern territory to evacuate on Thursday.
• Since launching a ground invasion in the north, Israel may be gearing up to head south. 

A massive crowd of Palestinians huddled together as they try to flee southern Gaza can be seen from space, satellite images show.

Israeli forces ordered parts of southern Gaza to evacuate on Thursday, in a sign that Israel might be gearing up to invade the region following its ground attacks in the north, Forbes reported.

MAXAR Technologies released satellite images on Friday that the company says show a crowd of Palestinians gathered along Salah al Deen Road in southern Gaza as they try to escape via an evacuation corridor.

It's unclear exactly how large the crowd is, but MAXAR estimated it could include thousands of people. The Guardian reported that hundreds of people were waiting to pass through the checkpoint.

Since being forced out of the north, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been sheltering in the south, where most of the besieged territory's 2.3 million residents are now crammed, the Associated Press reported.

The United Nations' World Food Program warned on Friday that Gazans are running out of food and water and are now "on the brink of starvation."

A lack of fuel submerged the entire Gaza Strip in a phone and internet service blackout on Thursday, the territory's main telecom provider said.

Over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's war against Hamas began, and an additional 2,700 are reported missing, according to Palestinian health authorities. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel when Hamas militants attacked the country on October 7, taking an additional 240 civilians hostage.