Today, a Brazilian rescue plane landed in Brasilia, bringing home 211 Brazilians from the escalating Middle Eastern conflict.
Brazil’s Ministry of Defense confirmed this news. The Brazilian Air Force operated the flight. It took off from Tel Aviv and touched down at 4:10 a.m. local time.
Of these returnees, 107 stayed in Brasilia. Another 104 flew on to Rio de Janeiro in two more flights.
This is the first phase of a larger effort. The aim is to relocate about 900 Brazilians from Israel and Palestine.
Four additional flights are set to arrive by next Sunday. These flights are part of the “Safe Return Operation”.
This operation is a joint effort by Brazil’s Defense and Foreign Ministries. Future planes will land in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Sao Paulo.
Brazil’s foreign ministry provided some numbers. About 2,700 Brazilians wish to leave the conflict area. Most of them are tourists in cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Last weekend, two young Brazilians died in Israel. Current data shows 14,000 Brazilians live in Israel and 6,000 in Palestinian areas.
Background
Poland, Brazil, and Argentina had set plans in motion to evacuate their citizens from Israel following recent violent conflicts.
Polish President Andrzej Duda stated military aircraft would be used for the evacuation.
Specifically, two Hercules C-130 planes will evacuate about 200 Polish nationals from Ben Gurion Airport.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak is also considering collaborating with Greece for further evacuations.
Likewise, Brazil had initiated its own rescue operation.
Air Force Commander Marcelo Damasceno, in a press conference with Defense Minister José Múcio, revealed that six planes are ready for the operation.
They aim to evacuate not only Brazilian residents in Israel but also in nearby Palestine. Argentina is also taking action.
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened a registration system at their consulate in Tel Aviv for Argentinians wishing to return home.
This move follows the loss of four Argentine and one Brazilian lives due to the ongoing conflict.