Gaza border is closed, Brazilians return to shelters
The 34 Brazilians and their families who were waiting to cross the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt had to return to their shelters as the Rafah crossing was not opened on Friday. The authorization for the Brazilians to leave was finally granted after 34 days of conflict in the Middle East, but they were unable to get out of the Palestinian territory.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira explained at a press conference on Friday that he had been informed by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that the Brazilians would be leaving today.
“Yesterday he informed me that [the Brazilians] had been authorized and that their names had already been given to the authorities at the border, adding they would be leaving this morning. They could not get through because the checkpoint was not open,” he said.
Vieira noted there is an agreement between the parties involved in the exit of the foreigners in which the ambulances with the seriously wounded should leave the Gaza Strip first, and then the foreigners.
“That’s what happened today, yesterday, and Wednesday [Nov. 8] when there was no passage from the Gaza Strip to Egypt because it was impossible for the ambulances to get through,” said the foreign minister. As a result, the group of 34 Brazilians had to return, partly to the shelter in Rafah and partly to Khan Yunis, a town ten kilometers from the border.
Vieira also reported that, at the behest of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, he had phoned the Israeli foreign minister four times during the more than a month the country has been trying to remove the Brazilians from Gaza. He also said he had talks with the authorities in Egypt and Palestine.
“We continue to work constantly with the authorities of the countries directly involved. President Lula has been very active in these phone calls and has also spoken to the authorities of all the countries involved and I have also maintained this constant contact,” said Vieira, adding that he hopes the Brazilians will leave Gaza “as soon as possible.”
Minister Mauro Vieira went on to say that all 34 Brazilians or Palestinians immigrating are on the list. There was an error drawing up the list and one of the people was not included, but the issue has been been corrected, the foreign minister said.
In all, 34 people are on the list of Brazilians authorized to leave the Gaza Strip. Of these, 24 are Brazilians, seven are Palestinians undergoing immigration, and there are also three Palestinians who are close relatives and will begin immigration. There are 18 children, 10 women and six men, of whom 18 were already in the city of Rafah and 16 were in Khan Yunis.
