U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas
The post U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. 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…
The post U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
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…
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