That was confirmed during a briefing by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres, citing warnings from agencies on the ground, following an ultimatum by Israeli forces for people to leave areas of the governorate.

Today’s evacuation orders for eastern Rafah will only worsen the suffering of civilians, Dujarric said.

‘They´ve been ordered to move to Al Mawasi, which is already overcrowded and lacks security and essential services,’ the authority added, citing reports from the Office fRAFAHor the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

According to press reports, the Tel Aviv defense forces dropped on Monday leaflets from planes and sent text messages over the phone urging people to leave several neighborhoods in the city.

The much-announced operation in Rafah has been strongly opposed by the international community and the United Nations, as the governorate is home to half of Gaza’s population at high risk of food insecurity and without access to essential services such as shelter, food, water and sanitation after almost seven months of conflict.

OCHA considered it impossible to safely carry out a mass evacuation on such a scale while Israeli orders cover over 30 square kilometers. pll/omr/jha/ebr