Tens of thousands of Palestinians are streaming into Rafah to escape intense fighting elsewhere in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The BBC's Adnan El-Bursh reports that there is no food or electricity, supermarkets are empty and no humanitarian aid is being delivered.
Thousands have tried to go to UN schools to find shelter, but have had to sleep in front of buildings as there is no room for them.
The Israeli military is now deep into Khan Younis, a city civilians in north Gaza had previously been told to flee to.
Hamas attacked Israel in October, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages, some of whom were released during a short-lived truce.
Hamas officials in Gaza say Israel has killed more than 17,177 people in its retaliatory campaign, including about 7,000 children.
Desperation as Palestinians stream into Rafah
Earlier today, the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths gave a dire assessment on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but said that there were discussions happening with Israel to open the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The Kerem Shalom crossing is located southeast of Rafah, and is solely a commercial goods junction between Israel and southern Gaza.
It was first closed by Israel along with the Erez crossing in north Gaza soon after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
Which means at the moment, the Rafah crossing with Egypt is the only way in and out of the Gaza Strip for both goods and people.
