Israeli army forces asked more than 500,000 Palestinians to leave the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, after previously declaring it a “safe zone.”

According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on Wednesday, Israel called on civilians living in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate the area.

The report indicated that at least 500,000 Palestinians live in the city, including 425,000 internally displaced people, and about 88,000 city residents.

It pointed out that civilians who were displaced due to Israeli attacks took refuge in the city's three hospitals.

The Israeli army had previously repeatedly warned residents of the northern Gaza Strip against heading to the south, which it claimed was safe, and forcibly deported them, causing major destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals.