The UN relief agency (OCHA) has said that more than 1 million people are now in the Rafah Governorate in southern Gaza.

In a flash update, OCHA said that heavy Israeli bombardments from “land, air and sea” continued across Gaza and that hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah had added to Rafah becoming “extremely overcrowded”.

“We cannot talk about safety anywhere. People are sleeping in the streets, out in the open. Some of them have not been able to even follow the evacuation orders,” it quoted United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk as saying.

The UN humanitarian update also renewed warnings about the spread of disease in Gaza and the “catastrophic” food security situation with the risk of famine.