By Jerald Jimenez
05 Nov 2023, 15:28 PM EST
The US government reported this Sunday that it has managed to evacuate more than 300 US citizens and their families who were in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory subject to Israel’s blockade and the scene of a recent escalation of violence.
In an interview with CBS, Jonathan Finer, the “number two” of the White House National Security Council, said that Americans have been able to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, which connects the Palestinian enclave with Egypt. .
Finer explained that the evacuations have been possible thanks to the cooperation of Egypt, the United States and Qatar, which have worked to open the Rafah crossing and facilitate the exit of foreigners, Palestinians with passports from other countries and injured Palestinians who need medical attention.
The Americans have been able to leave through the Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt, and which opened on Wednesday of this week for a first evacuation process for foreigners, Palestinians with passports from other countries and wounded Palestinians who need medical attention.
However, evacuations in Rafah were suspended on Saturday, but Finer indicated that efforts are being made to resume evacuations as soon as possible.
Among the evacuees are Americans, permanent residents in the United States and their families, according to Finer, who did not give an exact number of those who still remain in Gaza and want to leave.
According to the State Department, before evacuations began, there were about 400 American citizens and their families in the Gaza Strip, bringing the number of people who needed to leave to 1,000.
During those days, more than 250 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombings and 12 Israelis were killed by rockets fired by Hamas.
The White House expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and its commitment to the safety of Americans there.
Biden has also asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to prioritize the protection of civilians.
With information from the EFE agency