Hungarian citizens who wanted to leave Gaza left, one stays

Six more Hungarian citizens – four children and their two Palestinian family members – have left the Gaza Strip, leaving only one Hungarian citizen in the area, who has decided to stay, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said late on Wednesday.

The security situation in the Middle East remains desperate, Szijjártó said after returning from Morocco, according to a ministry statement. He noted that in recent weeks, the ministry had been in contact with 15 Hungarian citizens who had been stuck in Gaza without the possibility of getting out.

Two weeks ago, foreign nationals were given the chance to leave the area, Szijjártó said, noting that he had spoken with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts who had assured him that the Hungarians in question could leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing towards Egypt.

Not long after this, eight Hungarian citizens and their Palestinian relatives were able to leave, while seven people stayed in view of the security risks, the minister said, noting that several of the Hungarians had since been injured.

Szijjártó welcomed that on Wednesday evening, six more Hungarian citizens were able to cross into Egypt, where staff members of the Hungarian embassy in Cairo had been waiting for them.

Staff at the embassy will handle the necessary paperwork, and they will be able to return to Hungary with a scheduled flight this week, he added.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said one Hungarian citizen had decided to stay in Gaza. “This individual, too, would have had the chance to reach the Rafah border crossing and enter Egypt, but decided to stay,” the minister said. “We will, of course, remain in contact with this person.”

Read also:

• Hungarians trapped in the Gaza Strip injured
• Hungary helps Gaza refugees with a lot of money