Brazil’s Lula Welcomes Citizens Rescued from Gaza, Condemns ‘Inhumane Violence’ 

Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, are greeted by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil November 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, are greeted by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil November 13, 2023. (Reuters)
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Brazil’s Lula Welcomes Citizens Rescued from Gaza, Condemns ‘Inhumane Violence’ 

Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, are greeted by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil November 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, are greeted by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil November 13, 2023. (Reuters)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday welcomed 32 nationals that his government managed to rescue from the Gaza Strip this week following a month of negotiations, receiving them at the Brasilia Air Base after a nearly day-long flight.

The Brazilians crossed the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday and were taken to Cairo, where this morning they boarded an Embraer presidential airplane loaned by Lula and traveled to Brazil via Las Palmas, Spain.

Lula greeted passengers with hugs and kisses after their arrival late on Monday evening, offering his support to Brazilians still in or arriving from the Gaza Strip and condemning the killing of civilians in Gaza.

"I have never seen such brutal, inhumane violence against innocent people," Lula said in a short speech on the tarmac.

The flight was the tenth in an operation launched by the South American country last month to repatriate citizens in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after a war broke out in the region last month.

Monday's flight brings the total of those rescued to 1,477 people, including three Bolivians, 11 Palestinians and one Jordanian citizen, as well as 53 pets.

The Gaza Strip has been under bombardment by Israel, which aims to annihilate Hamas, the militant group which runs the Gaza Strip and which attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people.

Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people there have been confirmed killed, with about 40% of them being children.

Lula echoed earlier criticisms of both Hamas for its attack against Israel and Israel for its reaction.

"If Hamas committed an act of terrorism and did what it did, the state of Israel is also committing several acts of terrorism by not taking into account that children are not at war, that women are not at war," he said.



G7 Urges India-Pakistan Dialogue, US Offers Help on ‘Constructive Talks’

Security personnel cordon off a road near Nur Khan military airbase after Indian strikes in Rawalpindi on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Security personnel cordon off a road near Nur Khan military airbase after Indian strikes in Rawalpindi on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
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G7 Urges India-Pakistan Dialogue, US Offers Help on ‘Constructive Talks’

Security personnel cordon off a road near Nur Khan military airbase after Indian strikes in Rawalpindi on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Security personnel cordon off a road near Nur Khan military airbase after Indian strikes in Rawalpindi on May 10, 2025. (AFP)

The Group of Seven (G7) major countries on Friday urged India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue as hostilities rise between the nuclear-armed neighbors, while the US government said it has offered assistance in starting "constructive talks."

World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry. India hit Pakistan with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday and since then both countries have been clashing daily. Dozens have been killed.

Among the G7 powers, the US has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan in recent days and urged them to de-escalate.

After a call on Friday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, the US State Department said Rubio offered US assistance "in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts."

Rubio has also held regular calls with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar since the end of April.

President Donald Trump said earlier this week the rising tensions were a shame. US Vice President JD Vance said a war between the two countries would be "none of our business."

In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by Western powers as a counter-balance to China's rising influence. Pakistan is a US ally although its importance has diminished since Washington's 2021 withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan.

In a statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, Britain and the European Union said they "strongly condemn" an April 22 Islamist militant attack in which 26 people were killed in India-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.

"We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome," the G7 statement said.

The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled only in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. It has been the site of wars, insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs over the decades.

Pakistan said this week that New Delhi and Islamabad have had contacts at the level of their respective national security councils.