Egypt and Israel have agreed to let U.S. citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Saturday as Israel carries out strikes against Hamas, a U.S. official said. 

The two U.S. partners agreed to keep the sole crossing from Gaza to Egypt open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (0900-1400 GMT), said a U.S. official accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a regional tour, and adding that Qatar spoke with Hamas to encourage cooperation.