A spokesman for the Israeli military said that Brazilian citizens are among those held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
“This isn’t an Israeli challenge only,” Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a video message posted by Israel Defense Forces. “We have Americans, Brits, French, Germans, Italians, Brazilians, people from Argentina and from Ukraine and many other countries … These are the people, the civilians, that Hamas has dragged into Gaza and are now holding captive.”
Lt.-Col. Conricus has officially retired but was called up for reserve duty and is being presented by the IDF on social media as a spokesperson.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, Carlos Sérgio Duarte, the Foreign Ministry’s secretary for Africa and the Middle East, said Brazil is attempting to verify the information.
The Foreign Ministry has confirmed the deaths of two Brazilians in Israel — Ranani Glazer and Bruna Valeanu, aged 23 and 24, respectively. They were both attending the music festival stormed by Hamas militants on Saturday.
In a video message shared earlier this morning, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said he talked with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry about helping to get a bus with Brazilian citizens and their relatives in Gaza across the Egyptian border. “I’m counting on Egyptian support in this regard,” Mr. Vieira said. The bus is to carry 30 people, among Brazilians and close relatives.
Early on Wednesday, a military plane landed in Brasília with 211 Brazilians rescued in a repatriation mission. This was the first of several aircraft employed in an ongoing operation to bring Brazilians back from Israel.
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