A team of doctors, including at least 10 Americans, is stuck at a hospital in Gaza following Israel’s ground operation in Rafah, which has closed the southern border.
Doctors said they were no longer sure if they would be able to leave the area despite being scheduled to leave this past Monday. Last week, Israel gained control of the Rafah crossing, the border between Gaza and Egypt, which was being used heavily by aid organizations.
“Right now we are stuck in Gaza,” Monica Johnston, a nurse from Oregon who is one of the American doctors stuck in Rafah, told the Washington Post. “No safe way to get out and no new help or supplies coming in.”
Johnston and the other doctors are on a two-week rotation at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. They entered Gaza on May 1 alongside doctors from Australia, Egypt, and Jordan. The doctors are reportedly rationing water, and at least one is in poor health.
A Virginia-based organization, the Palestinian American Medical Association, announced that the doctors were stranded and urged U.S. officials for help.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the United States is aware of the doctors and is working with the Israeli and Egyptian governments to secure their safe exit.
“We don’t control this border crossing, and this is an incredibly complex situation that has very serious implications for the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” Patel said. “Rafah is a conduit for the safe departure of foreign nationals, which is why we continue to want to see it get opened as swiftly as possible.”
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On Monday, a United Nations official was killed in Rafah despite being in a vehicle marked with the U.N. flag, marking the first U.N. casualty since the war with Hamas began following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The attack alarmed Johnston.
“With the convoy incident today, we are extremely nervous about any promises made to us about safe passage,” Johnston said.
