Gavin Kelleher, an access manager in Gaza for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said there were “near daily” strikes within the zone, including from Israeli ships and quadcopters, or small drones.

He added that “heavy fire is recurrent in this area despite its [Israel’s] unilateral ‘humanitarian’ designation.”

“The Israeli military appears keen to maintain the illusion of a Humanitarian Zone that remains a certain size, yet that zone can be subject to ‘evacuation orders’ at any time and be targeted,” Mr Kelleher said.

One resident who lives within the zone, Khaled Abdel Rahman, told the BBC that residents were being subjected to daily bombardments, frequently resulting in injuries and casualties.

“We were displaced to Khan Younis because it was designated as a safe zone, but in fact we find nothing here but insecurity,” Mr Rahman said. “We have been denied the true sense of security, with fear dominating our lives.”