The head of the Red Cross has warned that it would be impossible to keep people safe during a mass expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza, as Israel intensifies its assault in the enclave.
Israel is pushing ahead with its plan to fully occupy Gaza, while facing a global outcry over the starvation campaign in the besieged enclave.
"It is impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza could ever be done in a way that is safe and dignified under the current conditions," Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement on Saturday.
A forceful evacuation would provoke a massive population displacement that no other area in Gaza is equipped to absorb, amid severe shortages of food, shelter, and medical supplies, Spoljaric said.
‘Unfeasible, incomprehensible’
The Israeli military said on Friday that it "will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing manoeuvring and offensive operations against terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip to protect the state of Israel".
Israel has ordered civilians to leave for the south of the Palestinian enclave.
Many people in Gaza would not be able to move because they are starving, sick or wounded, Spoljaric said.
International humanitarian law requires Israel to ensure that civilians have access to shelter, safety and nutrition when evacuation orders are issued.
"These conditions cannot currently be met in Gaza. This makes any evacuation not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances," Spoljaric added.
Israel has killed more than 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health officials.
