Ministry of Foreign Affairs Reports on Korean Family in Gaza Strip
Korean Family Arrives in Cairo, Likely to Decide on Next Steps
Five members of a Korean family who were in Gaza Strip safely escaped through the Rafah border. It was reported that they were included in the list of those allowed to cross the border, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced their border crossing.
The only Korean family in the Gaza Strip who dramatically escaped after 26 days since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the morning of the 2nd (local time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that all Korean nationals in Gaza Strip entered Egypt through the Egypt-Gaza Strip Rafah border. The Ministry explained, "A consular officer from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Egypt was dispatched to the Rafah border to check their health status and provide consular assistance to facilitate their stay in Egypt."
The Korean family who fled to Egypt consists of five people: a Korean woman in her 40s, her Palestinian husband in his 40s, and their three children. They are the only Koreans who were in Gaza Strip and are known to have lived there for a long time. Local sources told Yonhap News Agency that the Korean family is "relatively healthy without injuries or illness."
They stayed at home when the Israel-Hamas war began on the 7th of last month, then evacuated to the border area around the 14th. They tried to leave for Egypt afterward, but faced difficulties as the Rafah border was closed due to the worsening war situation.
A Korean couple with three children who arrived in Cairo, Egypt, after escaping Gaza Strip 26 days into the war [Image source=Yonhap News]
Then, Israel, Egypt, and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, agreed to allow foreigners and critically ill patients to move through the Rafah border crossing connecting Gaza Strip and Egypt, changing the situation. Following more than 360 foreign nationals escaping to Egypt the day before, the Korean family entered Egypt through the Rafah checkpoint as the second group.
Earlier, foreign media such as Al Jazeera and The New York Times (NYT) reported that Gaza authorities in charge of border crossing announced the second evacuation approval list that morning. It is known that about 600 people, including Koreans, foreigners, and dual nationals, were on the list.
The Korean family will move to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, with the help of the local Korean embassy and decide on their future residence. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We made various diplomatic efforts through organic cooperation between headquarters and missions to enable our nationals to cross the Rafah border as soon as possible."
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