Gaza: More than 260,000 displaced in besieged enclave amid war, UN says

Over 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, as heavy Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continue to strike the besieged Palestinian enclave, the United Nations said.

Fierce and indiscriminate Israeli strikes have killed least 1,055 Palestinians in the Strip, while Hamas' cross-border assault has killed at least 1,200 Israelis in the aftermath of the group's surprise assault on Saturday.

"Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes," said UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update Tuesday, warning that "this number is expected to rise further".

It said that around 3,000 people had been displaced "due to previous escalations", prior to Saturday.

The bombing campaign has destroyed more than 1,000 housing units, and 560 have been so severely damaged they are uninhabitable, OCHA said, citing Palestinian authorities.

Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, which has plunged tens of thousands of people into poverty and deprived others of medical care and other basic services.

Among the displaced, nearly 175,500 people sought shelter in 88 schools run by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, it said.

More than 14,500 others had fled to 12 government schools, while close to 74,000 were estimated to be staying with relatives and neighbours or seeking sheltes in churches and other facilities.

The number of displaced people inside Gaza "represents the highest number of people displaced since the 50-day escalation of hostilities in 2014," OCHA said.

"Meeting basic needs is becoming increasingly challenging for those who have not been displaced," it warned.

Israel has imposed what it called a "complete siege" on the already blockaded Gaza Strip, cutting off food, water, fuel and electricity - a move described by the Palestinian envoy to the UN as "genocidal."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the siege would worsen an already dire humanitarian situation.