Last Israeli rescue flight lands in Rio with 209 passengers

The ninth repatriation flight for Brazilians who were in Israel arrived in Brazil in the early hours of this Monday (23) with 209 passengers on board. The Brazilian Air Force KC-30 (A330-200) plane landed at Galeão Air Base, in Rio de Janeiro, coming from Tel Aviv.

The expectation is that 15 foreigners from nearby countries came on this flight, but the information has not yet been confirmed by Palácio do Planalto. The flight also transported 9 pets.

Operation Returning in Peace rescued around 1,400 Brazilians who asked the government for help to return to the country after the start of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7th. There are no expectations of new flights, but the government says it can schedule more rescues depending on new repatriation requests.

On the other hand, flight number 6 of the operation has not yet returned to Brazil and is in Cairo waiting for the opening of the Gaza border with Egypt, where a group of around 30 people awaits rescue. The expectation was that there would be an opening for foreigners this weekend, but only a few trucks with humanitarian aid were allowed to cross the pass through the city of Rafah, south of the conflicted territory.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week, Brazilians and close relatives are sheltering in Rafah and Khan Younis awaiting the release of the border by the Egyptian government. Buses to transport them to the pass and then to the airport that will be used for rescue are already hired by the government and ready for transfer.

Since the start of the conflicts between Israel and Hamas, 17 days ago, more than 6 thousand people have died, including three Brazilians and close relatives.