Fourteen children were among the rescued passengers, the Brazilian presidency said in a statement.
The group of repatriates, including 16 Brazilians and 14 Palestinian relatives, arrived in Brasília on a Brazilian Air Force flight from Cairo airport, where they went after crossing the Rafah border post, which connects Egypt with Gaza.
“The situation is very difficult. There is no safe place in Gaza. The children are always afraid,” one of the elements said after arriving in the Brazilian capital.
The action is part of the operation launched by the government of Brazilian President Lula da Silva to repatriate Brazilian citizens who want to leave the Middle East in light of the worsening Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, Brazil has chartered 12 flights, rescuing 1,555 people, including Brazilians and relatives, in Israel and the Palestinian territories, both in Gaza and the West Bank.
From Gaza, under heavy Israeli bombardment, Brazil managed to evacuate 141 Brazilians and their families through Egypt, and is still waiting for another 23 waiting to cross the border into Egypt, the only border crossing point open to civilians to enter the enclave. to leave.
Each passenger requires permission from the Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian authorities to depart.
President Lula da Silva condemned the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas from the outset, but at the same time defended that “Israel’s attitude towards the children and women” of Gaza “is tantamount to terrorism.”
On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 and kidnapped about 240, some of whom were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
In retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, killing at least 20,057 and wounding 53,320, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Source: DN
