"We are protecting civilians in Rafah from being used as human shields by Hamas and are encouraging them to temporarily move to humanitarian areas, where they will be out of harm's way," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

At least 800,000 people have now reached the coastal area of al-Mawasi, designated as a "humanitarian zone" by the Israeli military, which was already overcrowded with people displaced from other parts of the Palestinian enclave and where there is no running water or electricity, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement Tuesday.

"People have no choice but to trust the so-called 'safe zones' designated by the forces that killed their family members and destroyed their homes," said Suze van Meegen, head of operations for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Van Meegen also lamented that at least 50 trucks remain stuck at the Egyptian border after the Rafah crossing was closed, leaving Gazans without access to tents, medicines, hygiene kits and other essential items they are "desperately short of," as well as the fuel needed to keep hospitals running.

"Hamas has been holding our captives in Rafah, which is why our forces are maneuvering in this area. We must continue to do everything in our power to bring all of our captives home and ensure a lasting defeat of Hamas," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated Tuesday that they are expanding their forces in the city of Rafah, which borders the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and that they will continue to do so in order to "deliver a blow to Hamas," in order to create the conditions to rescue the hostages.

"This operation will continue and will expand: more forces on the ground, more air power, and we will achieve our goals," Gallant said from aboard a patrol boat off the coast of Gaza, where he has been assessing the situation.

The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli soil, which left around 1,200 dead and two hundred hostages, according to the Israeli authorities.

Since then, Israel has launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip that has left more than 35,000 dead, according to Hamas, which has governed the small Palestinian enclave since 2007.

The Israeli retaliation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Despite international appeals, Israel is maintaining its military action in Rafah, where it says the last active units of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas are located.

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