Israel-Gaza Live Updates: US is aware of American doctors trapped in Gaza

National security adviser Jake Sullivan stressed that the US is working “urgently and tirelessly” to put together a hostage-taking deal, but was unable to report any major progress on Monday.

Sullivan noted that he met with the families of American hostages last Friday and that “they know how hard the president is working on this.”

On the current status of the hostage negotiations, Sullivan turned to the architect of the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland.

“Senator. [George] Mitchell famously said, “‘Negotiations are 1,000 days of failure and one day of success.’ And right now we are in the earlier days rather than the latter days,” he said.

“[T]There could be a ceasefire here tomorrow if Hamas would simply release women, wounded people and elderly hostages, all of them innocent. Israel put a forward-looking proposal for a ceasefire and hostage-taking agreement on the table. “The world should call on Hamas to come back to the table and accept a deal,” Sullivan said.

– Molly Nagle of ABC News

The State Department said Monday it was aware of reports that U.S. doctors were stuck in Gaza and that it was working with Israel to reopen the Rafah Gate to allow U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals to leave.

“I can say that we are aware of these reports of U.S. citizen doctors and medical professionals currently unable to leave Gaza,” said chief deputy spokesman Vedant Patel. “As I said, we do not control this border crossing. And this is an incredibly complex situation that has very serious implications for the security of U.S. citizens. But we continue to work around the clock with the government of Israel, with the Egyptian government, to work on this issue.”

He added: “Rafah is a channel for the safe exit of foreign nationals, which is why we continue to want it to be opened as soon as possible.”

The State Department said it did not have an estimate of the number of Americans still stuck in Gaza, but that it had so far helped 1,800 U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents leave Gaza.

“Unfortunately, this is not a border crossing controlled by the United States, but we continue to work around the clock with the Government of Israel and the Government of Egypt to do everything we can to ensure that Rafah opens. … We have to.” “We are making sure Rafah opens as soon as possible,” Patel said.

-Anne Flaherty from ABC News

A UN worker was killed and another injured after his vehicle was struck in Gaza on Monday, the organization said.

The U.N. Department of Security and Security staff were on their way to the European Hospital in Rafah when their U.N. vehicle was hit, the U.N. said.

Details of the incident were initially not known. The UN said it was still gathering information.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a comprehensive investigation, his spokesman said.

“Humanitarian workers must be protected,” Guterres said on X. “I condemn all attacks on UN personnel and reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”

According to Guterres, more than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

Nearly 360,000 people have fled the southern Gaza town of Rafah since Israel issued an evacuation order last week, the United Nations agency operating in Gaza said on Monday.

“There is no place to go,” the UN agency for Palestine refugees said on social media. “Without a ceasefire there is NO security.”

The agency said on Sunday that 300,000 people had evacuated the city as Israel considers a full-scale invasion.

-Kevin Shalvey from ABC News