A total of 13 Sri Lankans who were trapped in the Gaza Strip amidst the Israel – Hamas conflict have crossed the Rafah border crossing, and are currently waiting for approval for entry into Egypt.

Accordingly, 13 of the 17 Sri Lankans who were permitted to leave the war-torn Palestine enclave await for approval for entry into Egypt at the entrance of the Rafah border crossing, while the other four persons were not permitted to leave Palestine due to a lack of security, Representative of Sri Lanka to the State of Palestine Bennet Cooray reported.

A Sri Lankan woman also among the 13 persons who left Palestine confirmed that the group are currently being placed in an area between the entrance to the Rafah border crossing and Egypt, awaiting for approval for entry from the latter.

Earlier today (02 Nov.), the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tel Aviv informed the Sri Lanka Bureau of  Foreign Employment  (SLBFE) that 17 Sri Lankan nationals  have been permitted to leave Palestine, via the Rafah border crossing.

Speaking in this regard at a special media briefing, SLBFE media spokesman Gamini Senarath stated that while 15 of these Sri Lankans are expected to reach Egypt this afternoon, the remaining two  are most likely to stay behind in Palestine.

Senarath assured, however, that the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel and the Representative Office of Sri Lanka in Palestine are working in tandem to facilitate the safe evacuation of Sri Lankans trapped in Gaza.