The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on Friday calls on Israel to stop “immediately” its military operations in Gaza and said it will be “total disaster” as people have nowhere safe to flee.

“It has to stop immediately,” UNRWA chief, Philippe Lazzarini said during a UN-produced video interview.

“People living in Gaza are now in a state of famine, which was declared about a week ago. And now we are talking about a major military offensive with a total evacuation of an extremely weakened population,” he added.

Israel's military stepped up armed operations around Gaza City on Friday (August 29), ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries, as it announced the recovery of the body of Ilan Weiss, a hostage seized by Hamas.

“If the military operation takes place in the middle of this population, this will add, again, even more suffering, kill even more people, and it's a total, total disaster,” Lazzarini said.

Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas after nearly 23 months of war, while facing a global outcry over starvation in the besieged enclave.

The assault on Gaza City has gradually intensified over the past week as Israel has urged civilians to leave for the south of the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman said the military was operating with great intensity on the outskirts of Gaza City and would "deepen our strikes" as it pressed its assault.

The war broke out when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise, cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli figures.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials. (Reuters)