Refugee Camps Are Now Battlegrounds
Without exception, the camps are extremely crowded. Families of 10 or 12 children are not unusual. Most of the camps stayed within their original boundaries as their populations have swelled over the years, with families adding rooms to their cinderblock shanties if they can, until only the narrowest of alleyways remain between rows of houses.

The sheer density of humanity is what makes the camps so dangerous during fighting -- primarily for civilians, but also for well-equipped, well-protected Israeli soldiers. The troops can't drive tanks and armored personnel carriers through camp alleyways, so if they want to search house-to-house for gunmen and weapons, they must fan out on foot.

The soldiers' typical method of making their way through the camps is to burst into one home and batter holes through the wall to the next. This shields them from ambush in the open, but is terrifying and sometimes fatal for families whose homes are thus invaded. Last month, in the Deheishe refugee camp in Bethlehem, a young mother bled to death in front of her horrified family after she was hit by shrapnel when soldiers used an explosive charge to blow open the door of their home.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Mideast-Battle-of-the-Camps.html