President Lula spoke this Saturday afternoon (14) with the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, to ask for support for the withdrawal of Brazilians trying to leave the Gaza Strip.
A group of 14 children, eight women and six adult men, awaits the release of the Egyptian border to return to Brazil. At least 16 of them are still staying in a house in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, close to the border with Egypt.
In the telephone conversation, according to Planalto, Lula explained that as soon as the Brazilians cross the Rafah crossing, they will be accompanied by the Brazilian ambassador in Egypt to Arish Airport. There, citizens travel on a Brazilian Air Force aircraft bound for Brazil.
The presidents also agreed, according to the statement, on the urgency of allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and reaffirmed their defense of the two-state solution and agreed to maintain frequent consultations on the ongoing crisis.
Brazilians in the Gaza Strip
According to the government, the Brazilians are in a rented house “a walk away from the border post with Egypt”. Before hosting, the group was at the Rosary Sisters Catholic school, in the north of Gaza, and traveled on a bus chartered by the federal government to Khan Yunis, in the south, covering 25 kilometers. Another 12 people are also awaiting the logistics of returning from Gaza to Brazil.
The 16 Brazilians were, still this Saturday, in an area of greater tension under Israeli attacks. The transportation and accommodation provided, according to the report, “a simple but dignified structure with space for everyone to rest until it was time to follow the return logistics”.
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“There they will calmly wait for the moment to pass, when the border opens. A huge difference in relation to the tension and bombs where they were until this morning”, said ambassador Alessandro Candeas, head of the Brazilian Representation Office in Ramallah, in the West Bank. “Thank God they are far from the most intense part of the bombing.”
The objective is to wait for the opening of the border for access to the Presidency of the Republic aircraft, which must leave Egypt. The highlighted model is an Embraer VC-2, with 40 seats.
Planalto also informs that it continues to work with Palestinian, Egyptian and Israeli authorities to facilitate repatriation logistics, within Operation Returning in Peace. The initiative has already allowed the return of 916 Brazilians and 24 pets, on five Air Force flights Brazilian (FAB), which left Tel Aviv, Israel.
In a previous statement, the Brazilian ambassador to Israel, Fred Meyer stated that teams are mobilized 24 hours a day to ensure that all Brazilians who are interested in returning have their wishes fulfilled. “Anyone who wants to leave will leave. This is President Lula’s order,” said Meyer.
Editing: Geisa Marques
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
