The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians who had already been displaced and were sheltering in a United Nations vocational training centre in this southern city of Gaza.

The order came on Thursday as the Israeli military’s ground offensive in Gaza intensified in the south — where more than a million people have fled seeking safety — telling those in the centre to leave by 5pm on Friday, according to Palestinian media.

The training centre, which is run by the UNRWA, the UN agency that aids Palestinians, is the largest such UN facility in Khan Younis. More than 40,000 people have been sheltering in or around the centre, according to the UN.

There was no immediate confirmation of the Israeli order by the UNRWA. But on Thursday night, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, posted on social media: “A sea of people forced to flee Khan Younis, ending up at the border with Egypt. A never ending search for safety that #Gaza is no longer able to give.”

The post was accompanied by video of hundreds of people fleeing on foot.

The Israeli evacuation order came a day after tank fire struck a building in the same UN centre, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens, according to Palestinian officials and media, who blamed the strike on Israel. UN officials said the building was hit by two tank rounds. Israel is the only combatant in Gaza with tanks.

The Israeli military denied the accusation, saying it had “currently ruled out” thatit was responsible for the strike.

The United Nations did not directly blame Israel. But in statements and social media posts about the strike it said that it shares the location of all its facilities including shelters with Israeli authorities, adding that it had received assurances that people inside the facilities would be safe.

The United Nations said Wednesday’s strike was the third direct hit on that compound.

“The compound is a clearly marked @UN facility & its coordinates were shared with Israeli Authorities as we do for all our facilities,” Lazzarini said in a social media post on Wednesday. “Once again a blatant disregard of basic rules of war.”

The order to leave the U.N. center also came as Israel reiterated orders for a number of entire Khan Younis neighborhoods to flee “for their safety” and directed them to go to the overcrowded coastal area of al-Mawasi, which Israel has unilaterally designated a humanitarian zone.

New York Times News Service