Khan Yunis
A UN official is warning thousands of people could be displaced as Israel ordered Palestinians to flee Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Briefing reporters on Wednesday from Jerusalem, Andrea De Domenico, Head of Office for UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said his agency was closely monitoring the situation.
"We have seen, constant flow of people moving out. And it's very difficult for us to be on the ground in all places trying to monitor the different patterns and be more precise in terms of the number of people that currently are moving," De Domenico said.
The Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Khan Younis on Monday, a sign that troops are likely to launch a new ground assault into the Gaza Strip’s second-largest city.
The order suggests Khan Younis will be the latest target of Israel’s raids into parts of Gaza it had previously invaded in the war, as it pursues regrouping Hamas militants.
Much of Khan Younis was destroyed in a long assault earlier this year, but large numbers of Palestinians had moved back to escape another Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah.
01:04
Israeli threats on Iran's oil infrastructure drive up oil prices
00:58
Intensification of fighting in Lebanon worries Israelis demanding a hostage deal
00:59
Hezbollah group confirms death of its leader and founder Hassan Nasrallah
01:11
Unexploded missiles pose threat to Palestinians in central Gaza Strip
01:11
Netanyahu slams Iran at UN General Assembly, as Israel continues to exchange fire with Hezbollah
01:07
Lebanon ceasefire prospects dwindle as Netanyahu arrives in New York