THREE FILIPINOS were still in war-torn Gaza City, including a father and child, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.
The father and child could not be evacuated easily but authorities were trying to ensure that they are reached by humanitarian aid, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. de Vega told a news briefing.
One of the Filipinos left in Gaza City is a nun, while the father and child had come back from the south to Gaza City to check on the condition of the Filipino’s Palestinian father-in-law, he added.
Israel launched extensive air strikes in Gaza after Hamas militants backed by a barrage of rockets stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in a surprise attack on Oct. 7.
Israel has also enforced a blockade and deployed tens of thousands of its troops for a ground assault on the Palestinian enclave.
DFA wants the three remaining Filipinos in Gaza to join other Pinoys waiting to cross to Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing for repatriation by the weekend.
The Philippine Embassy in Cairo is ready to accept as many as 150 Filipinos including their spouses, Mr. De Vega said.
DFA last week placed Gaza under Alert Level 4, forcing Filipinos to evacuate and come home amid the worsening war.
At least four Filipinos have died in the Israel-Palestine conflict, while two remained missing.
There are more than 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, according to DFA. Israeli military have evacuated Filipinos in the southern part of Israel to the north, Mr. De Vega said.
DFA has sent home 59 Filipinos since last week. The Migrant Workers department would send home about two dozen more, he added.
Mr. De Vega said 113 Filipinos in Lebanon also want to go home amid the worsening war between Israel and Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah. There are about 17,500 Filipinos in Lebanon, most of whom are domestic workers.
“We have in fact asked them to consider going home because of the rising tensions,” the envoy said.
The Philippines on Saturday placed Lebanon under Alert Level 3 due to the hostilities.
Mr. De Vega said 122 Filipinos are in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, most of whom are nuns and Overseas Filipino Workers. Four Filipinos there want to come home.
“We’re considering also raising the alert level [in the West Bank] but there is no threat of war,” he added. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz