Returnees from Gaza land in Brazil after waiting more than three weeks

The aircraft that brought the Brazilians and their families who were authorized to leave the Gaza Strip landed in Recife, on Monday night (13).

The presidential plane landed in Recife for a technical stop. Then, you will head to the federal capital. There, the group will be welcomed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the Brasília Air Base at around 11:30 pm.

The return to Brazil comes after more than three weeks of negotiations for the exit of citizens from the enclave, which is affected by the war between Israel and Hamas.

Of the 34 people who asked the Brazilian government to be repatriated – 24 Brazilians and 10 close Palestinian family members – 32 crossed the Rafah border crossing for the first time since the start of the conflict.

According to Itamaraty, two people from the group who were on the original list gave up on repatriation and decided to remain in Gaza. According to the CNN two Brazilians, mother and daughter, decided to stay in the Palestinian territory for personal reasons.

Understand in 6 points what the journey to Brazil was like

• The 32 Brazilians crossed, on Sunday (12), the Rafah crossing, the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt;
• The group was boarded in vehicles chartered by the Brazilian Embassy in Egypt and headed to Cairo;
• They spent the night in the capital of Egypt, where they received support from the federal government;
• On the morning of this Monday (13), they boarded the VC-2 plane, belonging to the Presidency of the Republic;
• The flight made technical stops in Las Palmas (Spain) and Recife;
• Disembarkation at Brasília Air Base is scheduled for 11:30 pm today.