Zelensky: 89 Ukrainians evacuated from Gaza
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Ukraine has so far evacuated 89 Ukrainian nationals from the besieged Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 9.
“We continue the efforts. A very painstaking and delicate process,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
The evacuation of foreigners and wounded Palestinians from the embattled Gaza started on Nov. 1, when Egypt finally opened the Rafah border crossing, the only available way out of the enclave. A total of 358 Ukrainian citizens were on the evacuation list at the time, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Zelensky also said he held a phone talk with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, discussing the Ukrainian peace formula and the Israel-Gaza war.
“It is crucial that as many civilians as possible are protected and that this ongoing war in the Middle East does not lead to a full-scale collapse of international stability. Everyone needs security and peace,” Zelensky said, as cited by his office.
The Ukrainian president also talked with his Paraguayan counterpart Santiago Pena Palacios via a video call, inviting him to join preparations for a global summit on the Ukrainian peace plan.
The two leaders reportedly discussed bilateral cooperation, Ukraine’s relations with other Latin American countries, and the situation in the Middle East.
The fighting in Israel and Gaza broke out after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli settlements on Oct. 7.
Tel Aviv has responded with retaliatory airstrikes against Gaza, a total blockade of the enclave, and a ground offensive. Thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides.
As of Oct. 23, more than 500 Ukrainians have been evacuated from Israel. Some 19 Ukrainian citizens have been confirmed as killed in Israel, and four others in Gaza, according to Ukrainian authorities.
