Gaza, Oct 13 (IANS): The area of the Gaza Strip where Israel has ordered an evacuation within 24 hours covers around a third of the territory - north of a seasonal watercourse known as Wadi Gaza, which cuts through a narrow band of mainly agricultural land, the media reported.

The order includes the whole of Gaza City and two major refugee camps, Jabalya and Beach Camp. It also includes the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, which are both adjacent to the main Erez crossing point at the northern end of the Strip, the BBC reported.

Taken together, this represents one of the most densely populated parts of the Gaza Strip.

At least 1.1 million people live in the affected area. Gaza City has a population of around 600,000.

Beach Camp is home to around 90,000 people and Jabalya, the largest camp in the Gaza Strip, has 116,000, the BBC reported.

There are at least six hospitals in the area, along with around two dozen primary care clinics.

Any mass movement of civilians will inevitably prove chaotic and extremely hazardous. There is only one main north-south road, along which everyone will be expected to move, the BBC reported.

Fuel is in very short supply, streets in Gaza City and elsewhere are already full of rubble, and there’s no sign yet that Israeli air strikes have stopped to allow an evacuation to start.