President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that American citizens, wounded Palestinians, and other nationals stuck in Gaza will be able to leave the war-torn area as the Rafah border crossing to Egypt reopened for the first time in weeks.
“We’re in a situation where a safe passage for wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals to exit Gaza has started,” said President Biden.
“American citizens are able to exit today as part of the first group,” the president added.
He made these remarks at the start of his address on Bidenomics at a family farm in Northfield, Minnesota.
President Biden said that the evacuation process in Gaza will continue in the coming days, with the goal of getting Americans out of Gaza “as soon and as safely as possible.”
“This is the result of intense and urgent American diplomacy with our partners in the region.”
The president said that he had spent a great deal of time speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and others to ensure that this exit would be opened.
“I want to thank our partners in the region, particularly Qatar, who’ve worked so closely with us to support negotiations to facilitate the departure of the citizens,” President Biden said.
President Biden also expressed ongoing efforts to substantially boost the supply of critical humanitarian aid to Gaza. He noted a significant increase in the number of trucks entering Gaza but said, “We still have a long way to go.”
“We’re going to continue to affirm that Israel has the right to responsibly defend its citizens from terror, and it needs to do so in a manner that is consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of citizens.”
He added that the administration’s efforts to free hostages held by Hamas are ongoing.
“My administration continues to work around the clock to reunite those families. We’re not going to give up. Period. We’re not going to give up.”
During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that approximately 400 U.S. citizens and their families were stuck in Gaza. Mr. Blinken estimated that this number increased to about 1,000, including families, who wanted to leave the war-torn territory.
“We’re working on this every single day. We have about 400 American citizens and their family members, so it’s roughly 1,000 people who are stuck in Gaza and want to get out,” he stated during his testimony before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday.
