A group of around 20 Belgians landed at the Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands on Saturday evening after evacuating the Gaza Strip on Thursday. They were taken by bus to Brussels, where Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) was waiting to receive them.
Last Thursday, the first group of about 20 Belgians and Belgian passport holders were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. This group was flown on a plane chartered by the Netherlands, carrying Dutch evacuees.
According to Lahbib, the operation shows that "European solidarity is once again bearing fruit". She thanked her Dutch Foreign Affairs colleague Hanke Bruins Slot for allowing the Belgians to board the Dutch flight. "This return home is a real relief for them," said Lahbib, who thanked all the teams, diplomats and military attachés involved.
"We remain committed to our compatriots and beneficiaries who are currently still blocked, and we remain committed to getting them out of Gaza as soon as possible," Lahbib concluded.
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