The UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza has said that 1.9 million people are now displaced in the territory, adding she was “deeply concerned” by reports of new evacuation orders for Khan Younis, AFP reports.

“Over 1m people have been displaced once again, desperately seeking shelter and safety [and] 1.9m people are now displaced across Gaza … I’m deeply concerned about reports of new evacuation orders issued in the area of Khan Younis,” Sigrid Kaag told the UN Security Council.

“Palestinian civilians in Gaza have been plunged into an abyss of suffering. Their homes life shattered, their lives upended. The war has not merely created the most profound of humanitarian crises. It has unleashed a maelstrom of human misery,” Kaag added.

She said that not enough aid was reaching the battered strip and that the opening of new crossings, particularly to southern Gaza, was necessary to avert a humanitarian disaster.

Kaag said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt should be re-opened and also pleaded with the international community to do more to fund relief efforts.