GAZA — The White House announced on Friday that seventeen of the twenty American doctors previously stranded in a Gaza hospital have been successfully evacuated.

The doctors were part of an international group trapped at the European Hospital near Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, following the closure of the Rafah border crossing by Israel.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, speaking at a briefing, stated that those "who wanted to leave" were able to do so on Friday.

He refrained from providing specific details about the remaining three Americans, simply noting, "I won't speak for the other three, but just I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out now."

The evacuation was initially planned for Monday but was delayed due to the closure of the border crossing, which coincided with Israel's recent military actions in Rafah. — Agencies