According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, six Finns have been evacuated from Gaza, but there are still less than ten Finns in the area. On Wednesday, the evacuees are doing well considering the conditions.
After weeks of difficult negotiations, six Finns have been evacuated from Gaza to Egypt. Consular Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jussi Tanner confirms to that they have already been flown to Finland.
Finnish-Palestinian Rasha Mahmoud were evacuated to Egypt on Wednesday when the Rafah border opened for the first time in three weeks. Mahmoud was in Gaza visiting his relatives. He is traumatized by his experiences.
– I live and am married in Finland. This was the first time my children were able to meet their grandparents in Gaza. Unfortunately, war broke out. I was in shock. It is not a war, but a genocide, of which the world sees a fraction, Mahmoud said in an interview broadcast by the Eurovision exchange between European broadcasters.
According to Mahmoud, Israel is not targeting the terrorist organization Hamas, but civilians – ordinary Palestinians.
According to Mahmoud, Mahmoud and his children were close to death when they fled by car towards the border.
– We traveled in a car convoy, but it was not safe. The car behind us exploded. I saw the bodies of the passengers. If it had happened a few seconds later, we would have been victims, says Mahmoud.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Less than ten remained
According to Egyptian authorities, there are 7,000 foreigners from 60 countries in Gaza. According to the authorities, they will try to get the rest of the foreigners out of Palestine in the coming days or weeks.
Jussi Tanner, head of consular affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that six Finnish citizens, including dual citizens, were evacuated to Egypt on Wednesday. Everyone has made it back to Finland. However, Tanner cannot confirm if Mahmoud was in this group.
– The newcomers are doing well considering the conditions. We cannot confirm names or personal information, says Tanner.
Tanner says that there are still less than ten Finns in Gaza. Efforts to evacuate the remaining Finns are still ongoing. Evacuees from Palestine are not allowed to stay in Egypt, even though it is considered a safe country.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the border between Egypt and Gaza is closed today, Saturday, for the time being.