Speaking to reporters, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus claimed: “We are not trying to displace anyone, we are not trying to move anybody from anywhere permanently, Reuters reports.

“We have asked civilians to evacuate the battlefield and we have provided a designated humanitarian zone inside the Gaza Strip,” he said, referring to a tiny coastal area of the territory named Al-Mawasi, as he acknowledged the situation in Gaza was “tough”.

“We are perfectly aware that there is limited space and limited access and that is why it is so important to have the buy-in and support of international humanitarian organisations to help with the infrastructure in the Al-Mawasi area,” he added.