The Israeli military says it is working to expand the so-called Crossing 147, also known

The Israeli military says it is working to expand the so-called Crossing 147, also known as the Kissufim crossing, with Gaza for the increased supply of humanitarian aid, as part of efforts to evacuate civilians from Gaza City to the Strip's south.

"In recent days IDF troops have worked to prepare and adapt the area, including paving new routes and expanding the goods terminal," the military says.

Once the construction work is complete, the military says the crossing’s "truck intake capacity will rise to 150 trucks per day, three times the current level, thereby enabling increased entry of aid, with an emphasis on food, into the humanitarian area."

The IDF has called in recent days on Palestinian civilians in all of Gaza City to head for the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip's south, ahead of a major offensive against Hamas. Out of the one million Palestinians who were in Gaza City, some 250,000 have evacuated, according to fresh IDF estimates.