The streets of Rafah are reportedly empty as nearly 450,000 people have fled ahead of an expected Israeli invasion.
The United Nations agency that provides aid for Palestinian refugees says those numbers are of people who have been "forcibly displaced" from Rafah since May 6.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency says families continue to flee the city in search of safety.
Israeli tanks moved deeper into Rafah on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Some fighting was reported in the city.
An estimated 1.3 million people were sheltering in the city as Israeli forces took control of much of northern Gaza.
"People face constant exhaustion, hunger and fear. Nowhere is safe," UNRWA said on X.
Empty streets in #Rafah as families continue to flee in search of safety.@UNRWA estimates that nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah since 6 May.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 14, 2024
People face constant exhaustion, hunger and fear. Nowhere is safe. An immediate #ceasefire is the only hope pic.twitter.com/cwRWL6iF06
It repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel calling it "the only hope" for civilians.
The U.N. says more than a million Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of starvation.
Israel says Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold and it plans to eliminate the terror group.
The Israeli military invaded Gaza after Hamas gunman stormed into Isreal on Oct. 7, killing more than a thousand people and kidnapping hundreds more back into Gaza.
