KHAN YOUNIS: More civilians have been fleeing Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip following an Israeli evacuation order, Anadolu Agency reports quoting a UN spokesman.

“Yesterday, about 150,000 people fled areas in Khan Younis, as assessed by humanitarian colleagues monitoring population movements in the area,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concerns about the short interval between the dropping of leaflets announcing the evacuation order and the escalation of military operations, which posed “significant risks” to those fleeing, he added.

“OCHA reminds us that each evacuation order profoundly disrupts people’s lives. People have been forced to move into areas with little to no infrastructure, where there is very limited access to shelter, health, sanitation or other life-saving humanitarian assistance,” said Dujarric, stressing that evacuation orders also upend humanitarian operations.