UNITED NATIONS, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Following the recent aerial bombardment of Gaza, Israeli authorities have issued the first evacuation order for civilians in more than two months, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Israeli military ordered people to evacuate areas in Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis, marking the first evacuation order issued since Jan. 15. Many people have already been displaced by the recent attacks, seeking safety elsewhere.

OCHA said the area covered by the evacuation order totals about 23 square kilometres, or more than 6 percent of the Gaza Strip, and includes more than a dozen sites sheltering displaced people. The area also has three clinics and one field hospital, with additional nearby medical facilities.

The office said no guarantees were provided for the safety, protection and wellbeing of those ordered to leave, let alone those staying behind.

The World Health Organization reported medical evacuations planned for Tuesday were denied, and called for the resumption of such evacuations.

"The UN and our partners working in education report that activities have stopped in more than 300 facilities across the Strip, depriving thousands of children from their right to education," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Earlier, Muhannad Hadi, the humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that the killings were unconscionable, adding that a ceasefire must be reinstated immediately.

"People in Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering and an end to hostilities, sustained humanitarian assistance, release of the hostages and the restoration of basic services and people's livelihoods are the only way forward," Hadi said.

He added that Israel's resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions. Enditem

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