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Brazil's Workers Party decries Israeli favoritism in Gaza evacuation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Nov 2023 21:47

Brazilian authorities have conveyed their confusion as to why the Israeli regime refused to permit the exit of their citizens from Gaza.

Palestinians cross to the Egyptian side of the border crossing with the Gaza Strip in Rafah Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Brazil's Workers Party on Friday expressed its frustration over the Israeli regime's decision to prevent 34 Brazilians from leaving Gaza.

Party officials say that "Israel" appears to be displaying clear signs of favoritism in determining who can evacuate the half-destroyed Gaza.

On Friday, a spokesperson from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said that Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen informed his Brazilian counterpart that Brazilian citizens in Gaza would be able to depart the area by Wednesday.

Since the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Palestine and Egypt, which was intended to facilitate the departure of foreign nationals from Gaza, Brazilians seeking to leave were not included in the list of approved individuals specified by "Israel", despite diplomatic endeavors to include them.

"For the third time, the Israeli government denied the departure of Brazilian citizens threatened by the massacre against the civilian population in the Gaza strip," Workers Party president Gleisi Hoffmann said in a social media post.

Pela terceira vez o governo israelense negou a saída de cidadãos e cidadãs brasileiros ameaçados pelo massacre contra população civil na Faixa de Gaza. E não apresentou qualquer explicação para essa atitude que discrimina um país, o Brasil, que tem históricas relações com o…
— Gleisi Hoffmann (@gleisi) November 3, 2023

Since Wednesday, hundreds of foreign passport holders and severely injured Palestinians have managed to evacuate Gaza through the Rafah crossing to Egypt. The evacuation operation was facilitated by a deal brokered by Qatar and involved the cooperation of Egypt, "Israel", Hamas, and the US.

According to a diplomatic source familiar with Egyptian plans, around 7,500 foreign passport holders are expected to be evacuated over a period of two weeks.

Brazilian authorities have conveyed their confusion as to why the Israeli regime refused to permit the exit of their citizens from Gaza. Speculation in certain local media suggests that this issue could be connected to Brazil's positions at the United Nations and statements made by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula has criticized both Hamas and "Israel," accusing Hamas of being responsible for triggering escalations and blaming "Israel for its extensive bombardment of Gaza, particularly expressing concern about the loss of hundreds of children's lives, which he described as "insane."