The Chilean Government of President Gabriel Boric Font has welcomed a group of 68 Palestinians, including 36 minors, who were evacuated from the Gaza Strip.
These are people with close ties to Chile. This action is part of our country's firm commitment to international humanitarian law and was made possible thanks to a coordinated effort by the government with the collaboration of various international organizations, the Chilean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The refugees were granted a specific consular safe-conduct and can apply for asylum. Chile recognized Palestine as a free, independent, and sovereign state in 2011 and is home to the largest Palestinian community in the world outside of Arab countries, with nearly 500,000 people.
Boric praised the measure on social media, writing, Chile lives up to its national anthem, and referred to the ongoing crisis in Gaza as genocide.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian community in Chile, the largest outside the Arab world, welcomed the arrivals as a deeply humane gesture. However, they stressed that while they appreciate the humanitarian aid, it does not diminish the Palestinian people's inalienable right to live on their own land. The Community also reaffirmed its rejection of forced displacement as a policy of occupation.
The Chilean government's decision to welcome Palestinian families with strong ties to our country is a deeply humane act that we value. At the same time, we strongly reaffirm that our people have the inalienable right to live on their land and that no humanitarian gesture can be interpreted as a renunciation of that right, said Maurice Khamis Massú, president of the Palestinian Community of Chile.
The refugees' arrival comes amid growing tensions in the Middle East, with President Boric recently condemning Israel's plan to occupy Gaza. Last month, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military occupation of Gaza City, where tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced amid relentless bombing of civilian infrastructure.
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