"The Portuguese Government deeply regrets the death of five people this afternoon in Gaza, three national citizens and two family members, as a result of bombing", João Gomes Cravinho told journalists.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that "one adult and two children" of Portuguese nationality had died and said that he had conveyed "disgust over these deaths" on behalf of Portugal to his Israeli colleague.

"What happened with the death of three national citizens and two direct relatives of these citizens is further proof that this is not the right path. We need to stop these bombings now", he defended.

According to the minister, these civilian victims were on the "priority list" of 16 people to be removed from Gaza provided by Portugal to the Israeli and Egyptian authorities.

For João Gomes Cravinho, "pause, ceasefire, truce, it doesn't matter" what it is called, "as long as the result is the cessation of bombings that are causing civilian casualties".

The minister announced that he had received from his Israeli colleague the indication that today "ten national citizens and family members" will leave Gaza, with "three minor citizens yet to leave".

Asked whether Portugal could have done more, the minister replied: "We have been in contact since the beginning, since the 8th or 9th of October, with the Egyptian and Israeli authorities, providing the information we received about Portuguese citizens and immediate family members".

"At this moment, there is nothing more we can do. That is, literally every day, and sometimes more than once a day, we have been insisting on the need to remove these citizens and their family members".