MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian refugees from Gaza arrive in Sao Paulo

It was the Brazilian government's fourth operation to repatriate nationals who were on the Palestinian side of the conflict with Israel

Brazilian authorities Sunday confirmed the landing in Sao Paulo on a commercial flight of a 30-year-old woman and her children, aged 4, 2, and a baby born on Dec. 24 last year, who fled the war-torn Gaza Strip through Cairo, Agencia Brasil reported.

The family of Brazilian origin was welcomed by a team from the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS), which coordinates the shelter for migrants from Gaza, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UN Migration (IOM) and a translator.

According to the MDS, all “are in good health, but will undergo medical care to assess their clinical conditions and vaccinations.”

After the carnival holidays, they will all be taken to Belo Horizonte, the authorities said.

It was the Brazilian government's fourth operation to repatriate nationals who were on the Palestinian side of the conflict with Israel. In all, 149 Brazilians and their close relatives have already been rescued - 117 from Gaza, and 32 from the West Bank, Agência Brasil also explained.

Meanwhile, sources from the terrorist group Hamas said two Israeli hostages were killed this weekend and eight others have been seriously wounded in the past 96 hours, as a result of Israeli army attacks. The Islamist group also noted that the situation of the wounded was “increasingly critical due to the inability to provide them with proper treatment,” although the identities of the hostages or their locations were not mentioned.

According to Israeli estimations, some 132 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, of whom some 28 are believed to be dead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a truce proposal put forward by Hamas and insisted on “total victory” in Gaza while announcing a ground offensive against the southern city of Rafah despite international warnings of a new humanitarian tragedy. Hamas warned that an Israeli military ground offensive on Rafah would mean “torpedoing the negotiations on the exchange” of hostages for prisoners.

In this scenario and just one day after President Javier Milei and his entourage left Israel for Rome, Argentine hostages Norberto Louis Har and Fernando Simon Marman were reported to have been released from Hamas captivity in the early hours of Monday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they were both in good health.

”The Office of the President thanks the Israeli Defense Forces, the Shabak, and the Israeli Police for having successfully completed the rescue of the Argentines Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70), who had been kidnapped since October 7 by the terrorist group Hamas,“ a statement from Milei's office read.

”During his visit to the State of Israel, President Javier Milei reiterated to President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the request for the release of each of the Argentine hostages, and continues to firmly condemn Hamas terrorism,” the document went on.