This Sunday, BE asked the Foreign Office about the government’s assistance to family members of a Portuguese citizen who are “enduring an inhumane and dramatic situation” in the Gaza Strip.
In a question addressed to Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho, the Left Bloc parliamentary group said it had “become aware that family members (father-in-law, sons-in-law and nephews) of João Thomas Bossa, a Portuguese citizen residing in Luxembourg and married to Wafaa Abo Zarif, a Palestinian (from Gaza) and a citizen of Luxembourg, enduring an inhumane and dramatic situation in Gaza, apparently putting his life at risk, given the disproportionate intervention and lack of concern for the lives of civilians, on the part of Israel.”
According to the text, this Portuguese citizen told the parliamentary group that “since October 2023, he has been in contact with the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the aim of rescuing 20 members of his family currently in Rafah and considered criminals.” a safe zone, but which Israel intends to invade.”
“The citizen reports that he did not receive a positive response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to his appeal. He also contacted the Israeli Embassy in Portugal with a request to stop blocking any initiative by Portugal to save his family, but to no avail,” the message says. explanatory note.
In this context, BE wants to know whether the government is aware of the reported situation, “how it intends to help the families of Portuguese citizens who have been subjected to aggression by Israel” and even “whether any procedure has been initiated to help the family members of the above-mentioned citizen.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was determined to carry out a ground offensive in Rafah, in the south of the enclave and near the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians live, despite calls from some in the international community.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France Presse tally based on official Israeli data.
According to Israeli authorities, about 240 people were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip. Of these, about a hundred were released in late November during a truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while 132 hostages remain in custody on Palestinian territory.
In response to the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas, the movement that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, bombing several of the group’s infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and imposing a total blockade of the area, cutting off water, fuel and electricity.
Following the Hamas attack, Israel’s massive offensive left more than 28,600 people dead and 68,400 injured, most of them civilians.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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