‘SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH’

‘Handful of Americans’ Among First Gaza Evacuees Since Israel-Hamas Conflict Began: Officials

Several hundred people, including nearly 80 wounded Gazan residents, were allowed to cross into Egypt on Wednesday.

A “handful” of American citizens crossed into Egypt from Gaza on Wednesday, among the first group of evacuees allowed to flee the besieged enclave since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said. Calling it a “significant breakthrough,” Kirby did not share the exact number of Americans allowed through the Rafah border crossing, and noted that further evacuations would “take some time.” The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund said that five American aid workers had been evacuated to Egypt. More than 300 other foreign passport holders exited Gaza on Wednesday, along with 76 injured Gazan residents, according to Rafah crossing spokesman Wael Abu Omar. A statement from Gaza’s General Authority for Crossings and Borders noted that the patients are expected to be treated at Egyptian hospitals. Roughly 400 Americans remain trapped in Gaza, according to the State Department.