At least 19 South Africans have managed to leave the besieged Gaza Strip. According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation the evacuation of the six males and 13 females to Egypt was approved by the Israeli occupation authorities. The group will return to South Africa. The Department has expressed its gratitude to the Egyptian government for granting them a safe passage through the Rafah Crossing.

South Africa has reiterated its call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the resumption of talks that will end the violence arising from the belligerent occupation. It adds that there must be a just and lasting solution. Apartheid Israel has a 17-year-old siege on Gaza, denying Palestinians the most basic of rights including the freedom of movement and access to proper healthcare. It controls what goes in and out of the world’s largest open-air prison.