The situation in Gaza City is nothing short of cataclysmic, a UN official has told the BBC, as Israeli tanks and troops continue to advance on the third day of a ground offensive.
Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian office, said she had seen a constant stream of Palestinians heading south during a recent visit to the city, but that hundreds of thousands remained.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that overwhelmed hospitals were on the brink of collapse because it was being prevented from delivering lifesaving supplies.
The Israeli military said its forces were dismantling terror infrastructure and eliminating terrorists in Gaza City.
It has said its objectives are to free the hostages still held by Hamas and defeat up to 3,000 fighters in what it has described as the group's main stronghold.
However, the offensive on Gaza's biggest urban area, where one million people were living and a famine was confirmed last month, has drawn widespread international condemnation.
The UN and its humanitarian partners have recorded at least 200,000 people crossing from northern to southern Gaza since mid-August, when Israel announced its intention to conquer Gaza City. Around 55,000 have made the journey since Sunday.
Cherevko also witnessed multiple Israeli strikes very close to the UN convoy while in Gaza City, noting that it was a constant barrage of hits.
On Thursday morning, witnesses reported seeing Israeli tanks in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and Tal al-Hawa, where heavy bombardment occurred.
Local hospitals noted at least 14 people had been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza, including nine in Gaza City.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's chief, criticized the offensive for forcing families into an area unfit for human dignity, highlighting the plight of the injured and disabled who cannot move to safety.
The UN indicates there are about 1,790 hospital beds for a population of 2.1 million in Gaza, causing overcrowding in the few remaining operational hospitals.
Amid the chaos, women are reportedly giving birth in the streets without access to hospitals. Israeli military actions escalated following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
