The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said that over 200,000 people in Gaza have already been displaced over the past week by previous Israeli orders - nine percent of the Strip's population.

About 29,000 people were in the area the Israeli military designated for evacuation on Sunday.

In a statement, OCHA said that "recurrent displacement is depriving civilians of dignified survival."

OCHA estimated that more than 190,000 Palestinians have been displaced this week in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah since Monday's evacuation order. Hundreds of others remain stranded in eastern Khan Younis as the fighting continues.

The UN office added that recent evacuation directives and intense hostilities have destabilised aid operations and hampered efforts to provide critical relief to civilians in Khan Younis.

OCHA stated that ongoing insecurity and the designation of only one access point for the entry and exit of humanitarian staff into and out of Gaza—the Karam Abu Salem crossing—have hampered efforts to deploy additional emergency medical teams in Gaza. These workers are critically needed to help support the exhausted local health force.