Brazilians not included on 5th list to leave Gaza

Israel has assured the inclusion of 34 Brazilians on the Nov. 8 list

Lucas Pordeus León

Published on 07/11/2023 - 13:20

Agência Brasil - Brasília

Palestinians holding foreign passports wait for permission to leave Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, November 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa — © REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

The fifth list of foreigners authorized to leave the Gaza Strip, released on Tuesday (Nov. 7), did not include Brazilians.

According to Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, the 34 Brazilians awaiting authorization to leave the Gaza Strip are expected to be included on the list on Wednesday (8). Vieira said that Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had given him assurances that the Brazilians would leave the conflict zone by that date.

The Rafah border crossing, which links Egypt to the Gaza Strip, is the only point of entry or exit for people and goods in the Palestinian enclave. Foreigners and wounded Palestinians have been allowed to leave Gaza since the previous Wednesday (1). However, the border was closed last Saturday (4) after Israel bombed a convoy of ambulances carrying wounded people who had been allowed to leave the country. The border was only reopened on Monday (6).

The 34 Brazilians are taking shelter in the towns of Khan Younes and Rafah, near the border with Egypt. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the rescue plan includes assistance from the moment they leave the Gaza Strip—with teams and buses on standby, medicines, and food—until they board at Cairo Airport, where a Brazilian Air Force plane awaits them.

Due to the siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, Brazilians and humanitarian aid agencies have been reporting a lack of drinking water, electricity, food, and medicine in the Palestinian enclave. According to the UN, the humanitarian aid allowed in is insufficient to cover the needs of around 2.2 million people.