Multiple reports indicate that as many as 500 Americans are trapped in Gaza and unable to return home.
The exact number is uncertain, with Israel Defense Forces stating that 230 Americans are being held by Hamas, while others suggest the number could be as high as 500.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that around 400 American citizens and their family members, totaling approximately 1,000 people, are stuck in Gaza and seeking to leave.
Hamas is preventing 500 American citizens from being able to leave Gaza.
These Americans are considered hostages under federal law.@JakeSullivan46 needs to resign immediately. pic.twitter.com/dXETvXlTmB
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 31, 2023
Blinken stated, “We’re working on this every single day. We have about 400 American citizens and their family members, so it’s roughly 1,000 people who are stuck in Gaza and want to get out.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn posted on X “[t]he White House admitted Hamas is holding nearly 500 Americans hostage in Gaza.”
Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt responded, “Are they counting Americans who are dual passport holders in Gaza, Palestinians who Hamas is not letting go? You would classify them as hostages. I think that’s what she means.”
Concluding, “Not the ones that are being held we think underground, the 12 to 20 Americans there.”
The situation has been ongoing since the Hamas attack, and while some foreigners have been allowed to leave, no Americans, except for four hostages released by Hamas, have been permitted to leave Gaza.
The White House acknowledges that Hamas is preventing people from leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
Theory:
Hear me out.
– Yesterday Jake Sullivan confirmed that 500 Americans are “held hostage” in Gaza besides the 30 hostages we already know.
These are simple American citizens who were in Gaza from before the war for various reasons, and Hamas is just not allowing them… pic.twitter.com/GWY1Dl8Mjv— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 31, 2023
The Biden administration has announced that Hamas has made demands for the hostages’ release that the U.S. is not willing to meet.
Only two Americans have been allowed to leave Gaza since the October 7 attack, where over 200 Israelis and “less than ten” Americans were taken hostage.
Senator Blackburn called on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to resign, citing U.S. law on hostage-taking.
“White House admitted Hamas is holding nearly 500 Americans hostage in Gaza,” Blackburn posted on X.
“Hamas is preventing 500 American citizens from being able to leave Gaza. These Americans are considered hostages under federal law. @JakeSullivan46 needs to resign immediately.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that about 400 Americans and their families, totaling around 1,000 people, are trapped in Gaza and seeking to leave.
“We’re working on this every single day. We have about 400 American citizens and their family members, so it’s roughly 1,000 people who are stuck in Gaza and want to get out. I’m focused on this intensely,” Blinken stated.
“The impediment is simple: It’s Hamas. We’ve not yet found a way to get them out by whatever — through whatever place and by whatever means that Hamas is not blocking, but we’re working that with intermediaries,” he added.
“They are also another roughly 5,000 third-country nationals from other countries seeking to get out.”
signaled during a Tuesday afternoon press conference that the administration might be close to securing safe passage through the Rafah crossing into Egypt for the American citizens trapped in Gaza, saying negotiators “have made good progress on this even in the past few hours” — but stopping just short of making any announcement.
“I will say that we are making very good progress on this issue. You may see have seen some reports that have moved from the region just in the last few hours about the possibility of Rafah gate opening tomorrow,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
The State Department has indicated progress in securing safe passage through the Rafah crossing into Egypt for the trapped Americans.
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