The head of the World Health Organization said he is "gravely concerned" after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Friday he had approved plans for an offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza.
"Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would lead to many more deaths and suffering, especially with health facilities already overwhelmed," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
According to Netanyahu's office, the Israel Defense Forces "is preparing for the operational side and for the evacuation of the population."
The White House says it has not received any plans, including on how to get an estimated 1.4 million displaced Palestinians in the city to safety.
The WHO chief said that Palestinians in Rafah do not have anywhere safe to move to, and there are no fully functional, safe health facilities that they can reach elsewhere in Gaza. Many people are too fragile, hungry and sick to be moved again, he said.
"In the name of humanity, we appeal to Israel not to proceed and instead to work toward peace. This humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen," he added.