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A third Filipino in Israel has been confirmed dead while more Filipinos in the besieged Gaza now want to flee from the Israel-Hamas war, prompting the government to seek help from the international community.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said Friday, Oct. 13, that President Marcos already directed the agency to contact other countries in the region to ask if they could provide assistance in repatriating Filipinos or in looking for the missing ones, who might have gone somewhere else.
The Philippine government’s appeal came after it recorded another fatality—a 49-year-old woman from Negros Occidental who was among those who attended a music festival in southern Israel, where Hamas killed many and took several hostages.
Facing hurdles, the government also made a request to the international community after 92 of the 131 Filipinos in Gaza already sought repatriation after the Palestinian territory was sealed off and cut off with food, water and electricity supplies by Israel.
So far, no Filipino “has been repatriated” yet, according to de Vega.
“We’re working on it. We’re working with our diplomatic partners,” he said at a public briefing on Friday, Oct. 13.
De Vega said efforts are currently “concentrated” on the Palestinian territory besieged by Israel.
“[The President] said that the immediate concern is repatriation. But nobody now can get in and out of Gaza, so repatriation, of course, is not possible at this time, unless the humanitarian corridors will open,” he said.
The Philippines is now counting on other countries in the region, de Vega said, both to push for the opening of humanitarian corridors as well as to extend assistance to trapped Filipinos.
“We’re in touch with governments in the region. We expect them to call for a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to leave,” de Vega said.
He said the President’s order was to ask other countries to “provide critical assistance [in] looking for Filipinos who remain unaccounted for” as well as to help them in getting out of Gaza.
ASEAN members also already offered help while asking the same from the Philippines, he added.
“It’s an international approach,” De Vega said.
Israel has sealed all its borders with Gaza. Although bombed, the sole Egyptian border with Gaza, Rafah, may be used as exit points for those who want to leave the Palestinian territory.
De Vega said the Philippine Embassy in Cairo is now preparing to fetch Filipinos should repatriation efforts become possible. Some of the embassy officials are already by the border, he added.
Meanwhile, in Israel, there are already Filipinos who requested repatriation. From none, 22 now signified their intent to leave the country.
But that is because of economic reasons aggravated by the war, De Vega said.
On October 18, the first batch will leave Israel that will be composed of eight Filipinos.
“Situation in Israel is not a big problem in terms of repatriation,” de Vega said, adding that there are still flights in and out of the country. — Joseph Pedrajas
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
