Representative of Brazil in Palestine, Alessandro Candeas, states that there are still “pending issues” for the reopening of the Rafah border; protocol establishes priority exit for injured people before foreigners
The 34 Brazilians who were authorized to leave the Gaza Strip this Friday (10.Nov.2023) will have to wait a little longer to leave the area. This is because, in addition to the Rafah border in Egypt being closed, the group will still have to wait for ambulances with injured people to be released. The information was passed on by the Brazilian ambassador to Palestine, Alessandro Candeas.
“The pending issue for opening the border is authorization for ambulances to pass first with the injured to be treated in Egypt. Today, only 5 passed through, and dozens were stranded in northern Gaza.”declared Candeas.
The ambassador said that there is “news of a strong Israeli military presence and fighting around hospitals, which prevents or hinders the departure of ambulances, always in coordination with Israel and the Cross/Red Crescent”.
Alessandro Candeas also stated that “everyone is mobilized” so that Brazilians and other foreigners authorized to leave the area will be relocated again to the Rafah border as soon as the crossing is reopened.
“If the ambulances can leave tomorrow, foreigners will also leave, including our Brazilians. […] On the Egyptian side, our embassy in Cairo is also ready”declared the ambassador.
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, said that it is not possible to say when Brazilians in the Gaza Strip will be released to Egypt and repatriated to Brazil.
According to Vieira, the citizens have been on a list to leave the region since Wednesday (Nov 8) and were promised their exit by the Israeli government. However, the uncertainty regarding the situation at the border makes it difficult to formalize an exit date.
“The situation in Gaza does not allow me to say whether it will be today, or tomorrow, or when, it is a region in conflict and there are countless issues that make opening difficult”these.
ALLOWED TO LEAVE GAZA
In total, 588 people are authorized to leave the Gaza Strip under the new list. In addition to the 34 members of the Brazilian group, the list includes citizens from the United States (14), Canada (265), Romania (101), Indonesia (6), Poland (26), Russia (82), India (7), Albania (14), China (10), Denmark (5), Germany (8), Netherlands (2), New Zealand (12) and Malaysia (2).
Minister Mauro Vieira said that the names of the Brazilians had already been with the local authorities for two or three weeks and that the release also depends on authorization from Israel. A Brazilian government plane is in Cairo, capital of Egypt, awaiting authorization to bring the group to Brazil.
Palestinian naturalized Brazilian, Hasan Rabee published, at 2:52 am Brasília, a photo on his profile on Instagram. He was at the crossing between Rafah (Gaza) and Egypt and wrote: “At the border waiting for the opening”.
Still according to the Brazilian ambassador to Palestine, Alessandro Candeas, with the border closed, Hasan “preferred to return to Khan Younes”a Palestinian city located in the south of the Gaza Strip.
6 lists of people allowed to cross the border have already been published:
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/brasileiros-seguirao-em-gaza-ate-saida-de-ambulancias-diz-embaixador/
