Topline The U.S. government advised American citizens in Gaza on Saturday to head toward the Rafah border crossing—the sole crossing point between Egypt and Gaza, which has been closed—though the citizens reportedly ended up stranded there as officials were unclear whether Palestinian militants would let them leave.
The border has been closed for days. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images Key Facts A deal between the U.S., Egypt and Israel allowing for Americans to travel through the Rafah crossing was agreed to by the three countries, according to the New York Times.
Egypt has kept the crossing in Rafah closed for days, because of Israeli airstrikes, and has been reluctant to allow in large numbers of fleeing Gazans out of fear, as reported by the Washington Post, of helping drive Palestinians out of Gaza.
This deal would have allowed Americans to cross between noon and 5 p.m. local time, though attempts to cross were met with a closed border, according to the Times, which added Egypt wouldn’t allow foreign nationals to cross unless humanitarian assistance was allowed into Gaza.
A State Department official told ABC News the government was trying to open access for the border crossing and that the “Egyptians, the Israelis and the Qataris have been working with us on that,” the official said, noting it wasn’t clear if Hamas, the militant group in control of Gaza, “was going to allow people to make it to Rafah.”
The State Department advised American citizens to head toward the crossing but noted there may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time,” Reuters reported.
Big Number 500 to 600. That’s the estimated number of Palestinian-Americans in Gaza, which has been hammered by military assaults for days, resulting in the deaths of thousands.
Tangent Foreign nationals from more than 30 countries including Mexico, Canada and South Korea have departed on flights from Israel or will do so at some point soon, according to Reuters.
Key Background The Israel-Hamas conflict has claimed the lives of more than 3,500 people, injured nearly 12,000 and left over 400,000 people displaced in the Gaza Strip, one of several grim numbers that have materialized after a week of assaults from both sides. Israel informed more than 1 million Gazans to evacuate South, raising concerns from the U.S. and the United Nations, the latter of which believed such an order was impossible and could risk a humanitarian crisis. Israel said Saturday it would “attack Gaza City very broadly soon” as it prepared for land, sea and air-based strikes on the region of Gaza.
Further Reading Israel-Hamas Conflict: The Grim Statistics After A Week Of War (Forbes)
American Citizens Fleeing Gaza Say Border Crossing Still Closed (New York Times)
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