WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said Thursday the U.S. has helped 74 Americans leave the Gaza Strip in the first wave of evacuations from the Hamas-controlled territory.
Biden called the development “good news,” relaying the figure to reporters ahead of an Oval Office bilateral meeting with Dominican Republican President Luis Abinader.
These evacuations are in addition to five Americans who exited the Gaza Strip Wednesday, said John Kirby, a White House spokesman on national security. He said the evacuees left Gaza along its Egyptian border.
The evacuations come after Biden on Wednesday announced the U.S. had “secured safe passage” for wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals to exit the war-torn Gaza Strip, which he credited to “intense and urgent American diplomacy with our partners in the region.”
Amid the Israel-Hamas war, about 400 U.S. citizens have been seeking to leave the Gaza Strip, and along with their family members, the total is close to 1,000, according to the State Department.
But ahead of Biden’s announcement, guidance from the U.S. government has been sporadic, spotty and unreliable, family members of American citizens have told USA TODAY.
Kirby told reporters Wednesday the Biden administration expects to get all U.S. citizens out of Gaza but said “it will take some time.”
Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman. Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden says 74 Americans evacuated from Gaza
Evan Massoud is a political analyst with a knack for dissecting policy and governance. He provides readers with informed perspectives on political developments at home and abroad. Evan’s dedication to civic engagement extends to volunteering in local politics.
