The Israeli military has informed the UN that it wants approximately 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza, which is about half of the population of the Hamas-controlled enclave, to evacuate to southern Gaza in the next 24 hours, a spokesman for the world body said.

According to Stephane Dujarric the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the military told the UN just before midnight on Thursday that “the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours”

“This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people. The same order applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities — including schools, health centres and clinics,” the world body said in a statement.