Eight citizens under the flag of Portugal have already left Gaza through the Rafah crossing and are on their way to Cairo. One Palestinian citizen lives in Portugal and prefers to remain in the territory, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
“Eight citizens signaled by the Portuguese authorities to withdraw from the territory are already out of Gaza – two nationals and six family members – currently on their way to Cairo,” reads a note from the MNE, stating that “ a Palestinian citizen living in Portugal chose to remain in the territory.”
“Efforts are still being made to remove the minor who had permission to leave and whose relatives tragically died in last Wednesday’s bombing, which has not been possible so far due to difficulties in communicating with her relatives,” he also says to the MNO.
In the note, the MNE states that the exit “took place through the Rafah border crossing, open to the exit of foreign citizens from Gaza into Egypt” and emphasizes that “it was a complex operation carried out by the Egyptian authorities, in coordination with the Israeli authorities, assisted by a Portuguese team that traveled to the border this morning to assist in the withdrawal.”
The Portuguese embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, as well as the Portuguese Diplomatic Mission in Ramallah and the Emergency Consular Office in Lisbon “were in permanent contact with these citizens, as well as with the respective local authorities to complete the safe exit,” the ministry added. led by João Gomes Cravinho.
“The repatriation of these eight citizens from Egypt will be the responsibility of the Portuguese State, which will provide housing and transportation to the national territory,” concludes the statement distributed to the press today.
The military offensive in the Gaza Strip was launched after the Palestinian extremist group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Israeli bombings and ground operations have caused more than 11,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, according to Hamas, which has controlled the area since 2007.
Source: DN
