By Clarist Zablan
(November 2, 2023) – The Philippines has been working closely with foreign governments to get more than a hundred Filipinos out from Gaza Strip, the foreign secretary said on Thursday as conflict between Israel and Islamist militants deepened in the besieged enclave in the Middle East.
Enrique Manalo said he has requested a call with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, to follow up on the Philippines’ appeal to allow Filipinos in the Gaza Strip to exit through the Rafah Border Crossing into Egypt.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was “taking some time” to secure permission for the Filipinos’ evacuation, but it assured the government remains committed to protect Filipinos caught in the conflict.
“[The] Secretary for Foreign Affairs and the relevant units in our headquarters in Manila, as well as our Ambassadors in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan have been working closely with authorities of Israel and Egypt and are ready to undertake the movement should the list of Filipinos for evacuation from Gaza be approved,” the department said in a statement.
More than a hundred Filipinos were stuck in the Gaza Strip after Israel imposed a total blockade, preventing the entry of food, fuel and medicine to the densely populated enclave that the United Nations viewed to have remained under Israeli occupation for more than five decades.
The Rafah Border Crossing is expected to reopen on Thursday to allow foreign nationals in the enclave to exit, according to foreign media reports, citing Gaza officials.
Two Filipino doctors, among the staff of Doctors Without Borders (DWB), had also successfully exited the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the department and the humanitarian organization earlier confirmed in separate statements.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, in an interview with CignalTV’s One PH channel’s program “One Balita Pilipinas,” said the embassy has confirmed 156 Filipinos in Gaza to be safe, including nine in Gaza City.
“’Yung walo, sinusubukan natin lahat para bigyan sila ng transportation to the (Rafah) border – so far, they are not harmed,” De Vega said, adding that the remaining one is a Christian missionary who wanted to remain in the city.
Israel has bombed Gaza by land, sea and air after formally declaring war on Hamas last month following a surprise attack from an Islamist militant group, according to foreign media.
Gaza authorities estimated bombings have killed more than 8,000 Palestinians in the enclave, including over 3,000 children. In Israel, the surprise attack killed around 1,400 people in one day, including four Filipinos. Two Filipino nationals in Israel also remained missing.
Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas as well as the unhindered provision of essential aid to civilians in Gaza. The Philippines abstained from the resolution, a move that drew criticisms from local activist groups.
(MM)
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