At least 300 civilians, all of them foreign citizens or dual nationals, departed Gaza Wednesday, and hundreds more were expected to leave Thursday.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
TEL AVIV, Israel — Hundreds of Americans and other foreign passport holders were poised to leave the Gaza Strip Thursday, continuing the first major departure of civilians from the territory since the war between Israel and the militant Hamas began earlier this month.
A new list of passport holders approved to depart — all of them foreign citizens or dual national Palestinians — was issued by the border authority overnight. It included around 400 Americans. It was unclear how many would be able to cross Thursday.
The State Department has been in contact with around 400 Americans who have expressed a desire to leave, department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday. With their family members, the total number is around 1,000, Miller said.
At least 300 foreign citizens departed Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Gaza border authority, which is operated by Hamas. In addition, dozens of critically wounded Palestinians were transported by ambulance to hospitals in Egypt for treatment.
Israel’s airstrikes are ongoing, and its ground campaign inside Gaza has intensified. Israeli troops have entered from Gaza’s north and east, and the Israel Defense Forces have reported multiple skirmishes between its soldiers and Hamas fighters.
In Gaza, access to water, food, fuel and medical care remain urgent humanitarian issues, the United Nations reports.
Nearly…
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