Just before midnight local time, Israel told the United Nations that the entire population of northern Gaza — about 1.1 million people — should evacuate to the southern part of the territory within 24 hours, an order that the U.N. considers impossible “without devastating humanitarian consequences,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. Secretary General said in a statement. The U.N. said it “strongly appeals” for the order to be rescinded, cautioning that “what is already a tragedy” could transform “into a calamitous situation.” The Israel Defense Forces also wrote on social media early Friday that residents of Gaza City should “move south for their protection.” The situation in Gaza is increasingly dire as Israel continues to pummel the territory in retribution for the Hamas attacks and readies forces for an anticipated ground incursion. Authorities in the Gaza Strip have reported water and electricity shortages, and hospitals running out of fuel, sparking outcry from international aid groups and warnings of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.