The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, stated in an interview on RTP3 that consular services are making every effort to establish direct contact with the Portuguese nationals involved by Friday. However, he emphasized that the current expectation is for this to be possible only by Sunday.
Rangel explained that the interception by the Israeli Navy of the international flotilla heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid, which included three Portuguese citizens—the BE coordinator Mariana Mortágua, activist Miguel Duarte, and actress Sofia Aparício—occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
“Normally [on Yom Kippur], everything is closed in Israel, and services operate on a minimal basis (…). The current expectation is for Sunday, which is the first day of the week in the Jewish calendar, and we will do everything possible to expedite the process,” he stressed.
The Portuguese head of diplomacy also mentioned that the first group of citizens detained on board the flotilla is expected to arrive at an Israeli port at 08:00 on Thursday (06:00 in Lisbon).
Paulo Rangel did not specify which Israeli port nor whether the Portuguese nationals would be included in this first group.
