Unicef has said that Israel’s campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City is an “enormous threat” for almost one million people, half of whom are children, Al Jazeera reports.

“It’s important to remember that every second person in Gaza is a child, and life is becoming almost impossible for them,” Unicef spokesperson Tess Ingram told Al Jazeera from al-Mawasi, an area near the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel earlier said it had established a so-called “humanitarian zone”.

Ingram said the area was unsafe for two reasons. “First, it doesn’t have the infrastructure needed for the entire Gaza population, it’s a very small place,” she said.

“Secondly, it’s unsafe because bombardments continue here. Just four days ago, eight children were killed while waiting for water.”

Ingram added that forced displacement from Gaza City was the “catastrophe we hoped would never happen. And yet here it is, unfolding”.