The Israeli military says Gaza civilians should go to Muwasi, a long, narrow refugee camp turned small town in southern Gaza, with the coast on one side and agricultural fields on the other.
It is a so-called “safe zone” that will not come under Israeli attacks, they said, and where basic supplies will be available.
But for more than 1.87 million Palestinians displaced by the war that erupted after Hamas militants launched a brutal attack on Israel, there has been no support.
Instead, Muwasi is little more than a UN shelter so overcrowded it cannot accommodate new arrivals.
In other shelters in the south, communicable diseases have increased significantly, as have cases of diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene problems such as lice, the UN said.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees told The Associated Press on Wednesday that there was no safe haven for civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip – not even in the shelters of the UN and so-called “safe zones” designated by Israel.
“People are being pushed further south,” said Thomas White, UNRWA’s senior official in charge of Gaza.
UNRWA officials said they had no assistance in delivering aid to the region and that it was not a priority area for the UN agency.