(Corrects dateline)
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United Nations said early on Friday it has been told by the Israeli military that some 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the next 24 hours.
“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation,” he said.
Dujarric said the order by the Israeli military also applied to all U.N. staff and those sheltered in U.N. facilities, including schools, health centres and clinics.
(This story has been refiled to correct the dateline)
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Rami Ayyub)
