Israeli military says thousands of civilians have taken advantage of an evacuation route today, to head from northern Gaza to the south of the Strip.

The main highway was open for four hours today, the fifth day in a row.

The IDF posted on social med "For your safety, take advantage of the remaining time today until two o’clock in the afternoon to protect yourself and your family members."

The UN said the numbers using the route to evacuate south has increased over recent days with 15,000 people passing through the route yesterday, compared to 5,000 on Monday.

But while thousands have left, it's thought as many as 600,000 people are still in the north.