Philippines Calls for Immediate Return of Filipinos from Gaza
FILIPINOS FROM GAZA – The Philippines has raised its alert level to 4, necessitating the compulsory evacuation of Filipino citizens in Gaza.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has directed the mandatory evacuation and return of Filipinos in Gaza following the announcement by the Israeli military regarding their planned comprehensive attack on the Palestinian territory using land, air, and sea forces.
Based on a report from Philstar, on Sunday, the DFA raised the crisis alert level to Alert Level 4 in the Gaza Strip, signaling Filipinos to vacate the area immediately.
Eduardo de Vega, the DFA Undersecretary, clarified that although the repatriation of Filipinos has been made mandatory, authorities will not forcibly remove civilians from their residences.
“But we are telling you to leave. And if you choose to stay behind, we can’t stop you, we cannot prevent it,” De Vega said in Filipino in an interview with Radyo 630.
De Vega mentioned on Friday that out of the 131 Filipinos in Gaza, 92 have expressed their desire for repatriation, but finding a feasible exit point is proving challenging due to the blockade in Gaza.
According to the report, Eduardo De Vega added that the Philippines and other nations are awaiting the establishment of a humanitarian passage either through Israel or Egypt.
According to the DFA, three Filipinos, including a caregiver who reportedly stayed to care for an ailing employer, have been casualties in the Hamas attacks in Israel.
According to Gaza authorities, the Israeli military’s retaliatory airstrikes have led to the deaths of nearly 1,900 Gazans, predominantly civilians, including over 610 children.
In response to the attacks by Hamas militants, Israel initiated a war against them, launching numerous projectiles at Gaza targets, resulting in the destruction of entire neighborhoods.
Several entities, including the United Nations, have requested the revocation of the order, emphasizing that the 1.1 million affected individuals, comprising almost half of Gaza’s population of 2.4 million, have no viable place to seek refuge.