The Secretary of the United States, Antony Blinken said Americans are trapped in Gaza due to the Hama’s surprise terrorist attack on Israel on Tuesday, 31 October 2023.

“They are over 400 American citizens and family members, it’s almost 1,000 people stuck in Gaza and want to get out. I am intensely focused on this.” Blinken said during testimony before the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

It was reported that between 100 and 120 U.S. citizens live in Gaza, the majority of over 400 are those who visited the enclave before it was sealed on 7 October 2023. Although shipments of aid have been able to cross into the area through Gaza’s border with Egypt, no foreign nationals have been permitted to leave.

The secretary stated that Hamas is the only hurdle blocking their exit.

“The impediment is simple: It’s Hamas. We have not yet found a way to get them out by whatever place and by whatever means that Hamas is not blocking but we are working that with intermediaries,” he added.

“They are roughly 5,000 third-country nationals from other countries seeking to get out,” Blinken said. He also emphasized that the State Department officials had been in frequent contact with U.S. citizens in Gaza over the past few weeks.

“We have initiated about 5,500 communications with Americans stuck in Gaza via emails, WhatsApp, and phone calls to guide them the best way we can and, to work for their ability to leave,” he said.

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The hearing was held to discuss President Joe Biden’s $106 billion national security supplemental request for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and, Taiwan was interrupted multiple times by protesters in the chamber.

While in the chamber, demonstrators raised their hands at the back. They later shouted demands for an immediate ceasefire and chanted, “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have to go” while Blinken was speaking.

Whenever there was an outburst, the committee’ chair and vice chair paused the testimony while Capitol Police escorted the protesters out of the chamber, but it took several moments for order to be restored.