Egypt emphasized that this action constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and will expose the lives of over a million Palestinian citizens and their families to the risks of remaining in the open without shelter, in the face of dire humanitarian and security conditions.

 It also highlights the congestion of hundreds of thousands in areas ill-equipped to accommodate them.

Egypt called on the Israeli government to refrain from taking such escalatory steps, given the serious consequences they would have on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Considering the United Nations' scheduled briefing to the Security Council on this alarming development, Egypt urged the Security Council (SC) to assume its responsibility to halt this action.

Egypt also called on the United Nations and international stakeholders to intervene to prevent further uncalculated escalation in Gaza.

The UNSC is going to hold a meeting to discuss the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian war on Friday.

Israel has ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people. Palestinians would only be able to flee south within Gaza — a narrow strip of land about 40 kilometres (25) miles long — as Israel has completely sealed off the territory.

The order sent panic through civilians and aid workers already struggling under Israeli airstrikes and a blockade.

Israel has been reeling since an 7 October attack, when Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people and took about 150 captive.

In a grisly retaliation, Israel has rained air and artillery strikes on Gaza -- a densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people -- flattening buildings and killing more than 1,400 people, many of them civilians.