Washington. As Israel’s struggle against Hamas escalates, the White House said on Sunday that more than 300 Americans and their families have been moved from the Gaza Strip to a safer place.
Speaking to CBS News, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer said the recent rescues were “the result of intensive negotiations with all parties involved in this conflict.”
Despite these efforts, Washington believes there are still “many” Americans inside Gaza.
“We will continue to make rescue efforts a top priority until every American who wants to leave Gaza is rescued,” Feiner said. After weeks of fighting, the Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt opened on Wednesday, allowing injured Palestinians and people with dual citizenship to leave.
Egypt has said it will help evacuate 7,000 foreigners, but Hamas said late on Saturday night that the rescue of Gazans and foreigners with dual citizenship was suspended until Israel allowed some wounded Palestinians to reach Rafah.
A senior White House official has accused Hamas of abusing a US-brokered deal to get its fighters out of Gaza. According to the official, in the list provided by Hamas, one-third of the names belong to Palestinians and one-third of them belong to Hamas members and fighters.