More than 68,000 people have fled their homes since Iraqi forces launched a huge offensive against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in and around Mosul last month, AFP reported Tuesday (November 22nd).

The figure increased significantly over the past week as forces battled deep into the densely populated city, but it falls short of pre-offensive predictions.

"68,550 people are currently displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance," the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

OCHA said the aid response to the offensive launched on October 17th was growing in complexity, with varying needs for different categories of civilians.

"Humanitarian needs are severe among displaced families in and out of camps, vulnerable residents of retaken communities, and people fleeing the intense fighting in Mosul city," it said.

"While Mosul is under ongoing heavy attack, there are currently no safe routes out of the city," Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) spokeswoman Becky Bakr Abdulla said.

"Civilians are facing an extremely difficult decision of either staying in their homes stuck in the crossfire or risk their lives in an attempt to find their way out of the city," she said.

The number of people displaced since the start of the offensive "is less than we expected -- we should be able to handle this relatively small number easily", Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari told reporters after a meeting in Budapest.

The UN had initially predicted that 200,000 civilians could be forced from their homes in the first few weeks of the offensive.

According to the UN, the majority of the displaced are housed in camps, whose capacity is being increased daily and is slated to reach around half a million by mid-December.