ISTANBUL

The Gaza Strip has become an "uninhabitable place" as Israel continued its deadly military offensive in the Palestinian territory since Oct. 7, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday.

“Gaza is the worst place on earth, and the enclave is being transformed into an uninhabitable place,” Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told the UN News website.

“There are 1.9 million displaced people across the enclave, of whom around 1.4 million seek shelter in 155 UN-run schools and shelters,” he added.

The UNRWA spokesman said that most of Gaza’s population are being forced to flee to Rafah city in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt.

“There are around 1.4 million displaced people in Rafah and this figure is likely to rise to 1.5 million,” Abu Hasna said. “UNRWA cannot cope with the unfolding collapse.”

“What is happening not only exceeds the capabilities of UNRWA but also the capabilities of countries, as an entire population is being displaced to the city of Rafah,” Abu Hasna said.

Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

At least 23,210 Palestinians have since been killed and 59,167 injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of the populations are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of residents are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio