Four Lankans stranded in Gaza repatriated safely to Sri Lanka

November 27, 2023 at 5:31 PM

A four-member Sri Lankan family, who were stranded in Gaza, Palestine safely arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday (Nov 24), Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. 

Issuing a statement, the Ministry said its Consular Affairs Division had facilitated the repatriation of the family. Upon their arrival in Colombo, officials from the Foreign Ministry received the returning Sri Lankans.

The ministry further said the officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Cairo, working in coordination with the Egyptian authorities, had visited the Rafah Border between Egypt and Gaza and received the stranded Sri Lankans. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated the arrangements of logistics and air transportation for the returnees with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A total number of 15 Sri Lankans have been rescued from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border and have been safely repatriated to Sri Lanka.

The repatriation was carried out in coordination with the Sri Lanka Missions in Cairo and Ramallah since the beginning of the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Palestine on October 7, 2023. (NewsWire/ pic: File pic)