Israeli troops are moving closer and closer to the heart of Gaza City, razing rows of buildings and converting tent cities into front lines, an ABC News analysis of satellite images shows.
In images captured on September 27 and 28, ABC News counted an estimated 260 either military or construction vehicles in and around Gaza City.
That figure likely underestimates the full extent as vehicles can be obscured by buildings, shadows, cloud cover and the extent of the satellite images.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is advancing on the city from the north, east and south — as it moves to encircle the city and force the remaining residents to the south via a coastal road that runs the length of the strip.
The ABC has been tracking this military build-up since September 16 when the IDF launched an expanded ground offensive in Gaza City.
The IDF said the latest offensive was a bid to destroy Hamas in its "main stronghold".
Images show Israeli troops moving into areas once densely populated by Gazans, many of whom were living in makeshift tent set-ups.
Tent cities have been replaced by shell craters, Israeli vehicles and a patchwork of fortifications.
In one location, about 60 vehicles can be seen parked in a square in the city's north-east.
At the beginning of September this location was filled with hundreds of tents occupied by displaced Gazan residents.
Earlier in the war, the southern city of Rafah was where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians were sheltering, according to the former UN relief chief, Martin Griffiths.
Little remains in Rafah except for rubble-lined streets.
On the outskirts of Gaza City, satellite images show a similar story unfolding.
Buildings have been flattened and areas of land razed.
Closer to the heart of Gaza City, the ABC identified several IDF positions, some within a kilometre of tents straddling the coast.
These areas appear to have been fortified using earthmoving equipment.
As troops moved in, the IDF ordered the evacuation of masses of people from Gaza City.
Before September 16, tents could be seen lining almost every available piece of land. The UN estimated that around 1 million Palestinians were in Gaza City in early September.
As the ground assault began, many of the tents disappeared.
Along the coastal Al Rashid Road, which runs the length of the strip, a convoy of people could be seen on September 18 moving to the south.
Those living in Gaza City have been ordered by the IDF to move south to the densely populated tent city of Al-Mawasi.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the order was forcing Gazans to move from one "hellscape" to another.
Satellite images show more tents appearing along the coast in the past two weeks.
