The United Nations has warned of escalating displacement and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations by Israel in Gaza.

"Our colleagues report that people continue to flee, mainly towards the coast. Since August 14, our partners monitoring population movements have recorded more than 76,000 new displacements," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference on Tuesday.

He noted that "more than 23,000 of these movements were from northern to southern Gaza. Most of the remaining displacement was within the Gaza Governorate."

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), he said that "coastal areas in the city are already extremely crowded with tents, forcing some of those fleeing Gaza City to move north to coastal areas near Zikim, although those areas are under displacement orders."

Worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza

Dujarric also highlighted the worsening humanitarian toll, saying "there continues to be daily reports of malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza."

Warning about Israel's continued aid restrictions, he reported that "the movement of humanitarian teams inside Gaza remains heavily restricted."

"Between Friday and Monday, about one in three planned missions were either impeded or outright denied by Israeli authorities. That's 12 out of 37 movements that we coordinate with them," he said.

"As a result, many missions couldn't be completed," Dujarric added, noting that "strict physical inspections by Israeli authorities continue to significantly delay aid clearance" at the Ashdod port.