Biden says 74 Americans left Gaza on Thursday
Mike Brest
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President Joe Biden said on Thursday that 74 Americans were able to leave Gaza through the Egyptian border.
People in Gaza have been trapped within the territory for weeks after Israel shut down those border crossings, as had Egypt, since the unprecedented Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. The Egyptians have recently opened the Rafah Crossing, the only entry point between Gaza and Egypt, this week for injured Palestinians, third-country nationals to depart, and humanitarian aid.
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“Good news, we got out today 74 American folks, dual citizens,” Biden said during a conversation with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, an apparent reference to people getting out of the Gaza Strip.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that five Americans crossed into Egypt on Wednesday in addition to the 74 that did a day later.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the State Department was tracking 400 American citizens and their families in Gaza, roughly 1,000 people who want to leave Gaza. He accused Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and the de facto government of Gaza, of preventing civilians from leaving the strip.
“[Hamas is] putting obstacles up to allow us to get folks out,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s not Israel. It’s not Egypt. It’s not places like Jordan. Hamas has been making it difficult to do this.”
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On Wednesday, the president said he supported a “pause” on fighting for humanitarian purposes, but his administration has repeatedly said it did not support a ceasefire.
“We do not support a ceasefire,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Thursday. “That gives time for Hamas to regroup, which is something that, again, would put Israeli citizens and others in danger.”