Washington DC - The United States said Tuesday it has assisted 400 of its citizens, residents, and their relatives to leave the war-battered Gaza Strip after the reopening of a crossing into Egypt.

"We have assisted more than 400 US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and other eligible individuals to depart Gaza," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, an update from a weekend figure of some 300 leaving.

It was unclear how many other Americans were still waiting to leave.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a Senate hearing last week that the United States was tracking some 400 US citizens and another 600 of their family members who were seeking to leave Gaza.

Joke of the Day Joke of the Night for May 6, 2024: The best jokes to laugh the day away

Their plight became a key priority for Washington, with Palestinian-American groups suing the State Department alleging double standards after evacuations of Israeli-Americans.

President Joe Biden on November 1 publicly hailed the first departures of Americans which came after diplomacy with Egypt and Qatar, which has relations with Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The crossing was closed again on Saturday and Sunday over a dispute on the passage of ambulances.

The Hamas-run health ministry has said the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,300 people of mostly civilians.