A group of approximately 20 Belgians who managed to exit the Gaza Strip arrived safely in Belgium on Saturday night.
The group was evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Thursday. They were then brought to Eindhoven on a flight chartered by The Netherlands together with Dutch evacuees on Saturday.
From there, the Belgians were transported by bus to Brussels, where they reunited with their families and loved ones in Brussels, according to Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, who was present in the capital to welcome the returnees.
"Tonight, I welcomed Belgians, specifically women and children, who were able to leave Gaza. Many others remain stranded. We continue our efforts to evacuate them as soon as possible," Lahbib wrote on Twitter.
Minister Lahbib stated the operation demonstrates that "European solidarity is once again paying off" and thanked her Dutch counterpart, Hanke Bruins Slot, for allowing the Belgians to board the Dutch chartered flight. "This journey back home is a great relief for them."
Bittersweet
The Egyptian Red Crescent estimates that more than 1,100 foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality have been able to cross into Egypt via this terminal since the start of the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
One of them was a coordinator for Flemish Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Matthias Kennes, who left Gaza on Wednesday via the Rafah border crossing as part of an evacuation agreement between Israel, Hamas, Egypt and the United States mediated by Qatar.
Kennes, now in the Egyptian capital Cairo, spent the last 26 days working in the Gaza Strip and told VRT NWS that it was very emotional to leave.
"When I was finally able to cross the border, I felt relieved, but my departure left a sour aftertaste." He spoke about his worry for his Palestinian colleagues and their inability to leave due to a lack of foreign nationality.
Worrying health situation
The conditions in which Kennes and his team worked were "very difficult, often without means of communication. In addition, I slept very little and we had to ration food," he said.
Meanwhile, another 45 people were killed and around a hundred injured in an Israeli bombardment of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, according to a new death toll published on Sunday by the Hamas Ministry of Health.
With no indication of a ceasefire in the near future, Kennes warned of the health situation beyond injuries from bombardment.
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"We see complaints such as diarrhoea, but also skin diseases, typical in such contexts. And then we also have all the people with chronic conditions such as diabetes. Their medication has almost run out. This can all lead to hundreds, and even thousands, of additional deaths."
