HEADLINE-ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR 10.7.23 DAY 11 | Rafah crossing only way out for Filipinos
Palestinians evacuate the area following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Israel continued to battle Hamas fighters on October 9 and massed tens of thousands of troops and heavy armour around the Gaza Strip after vowing a massive blow over the Palestinian militants’ surprise attack.
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(UPDATE) HOPES to repatriate 137 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip before a massive Israeli assault hinge on the opening of a border crossing to Egypt, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
The DFA said in a statement it is “hopeful for a solution to be reached soonest in order for the Rafah crossing to start receiving foreign nationals so that our kababayans (countrymen) in Gaza will be allowed to cross into Egypt.”
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“From there, our teams will work on their repatriation to the Philippines,” it said.
The Rafah crossing was established as an access point to Gaza by a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979.
DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said in a text message that as of Monday morning, the crossing “has yet to open to allow foreigners, including Filipinos, to leave Gaza.”
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Memento Maxima Digital MarketingThat leaves the Rafah crossing as the only way for Gaza residents to flee and for humanitarian aid to flow in.
The DFA placed Gaza under the highest alert level of 4 to pave the way for the mandatory repatriation of Filipinos there.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Monday assured that Filipinos returning from Israel and Gaza will receive an assistance package.
“Since October 10, we have been assisting our fellows in Israel. But these are not directly related to the conflict in Gaza Strip,” OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio said.
Ignacio said each returning migrant worker will receive P10,000 from the agency.
Members of OWWA can also take advantage of the wide range of financial and livelihood support like the Balik Pilipinas, Balik HanapBuhay program, he said.
The OWWA is also coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to help distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) prepare a business plan once they return home.
“I would like to give assurance to our OFWs and their families that our government is a working government. We are not giving up on gathering information for you to be repatriated. And for those in Gaza, we are ready to bring you home once you will be out there. And we are ready to provide whatever assistance you may request,” Ignacio said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has condoled with the family of Loreta “Lorie” Villarin Alacre, the third Filipino killed in the fighting in Israel and vowed the immediate repatriation of her remains as soon as a humanitarian corridor opens.
The President gave the assurance during a telephone conversation with the victim’s sister over the weekend, the Presidential Communications Office said.
“There is assistance for the family. All that’s needed to be done to bring your sister home will be our priority. We are just monitoring the situation in Israel because it’s really chaotic, and everything is closed,” Marcos was quoted as saying in Filipino.
Alacre, a 49-year-old caregiver, was earlier reported missing when the Hamas militants attacked Israel from Gaza. The DMW notified Alacre’s family of her death last Friday.
Sen. Mark Villar expressed concern over the safety of Filipino migrants in Israel and Gaza.
“In times of conflict, our priority should be the safety of our people,” Villar said in a statement. “I am urging all concerned government agencies of the Philippine government to exhaust all available means to secure the safety of Filipinos in the affected areas of conflict.”
“Considering this pronouncement from the DFA that there is no way in and no way out, it should still be our utmost priority to heed the call for help of the Filipinos in Israel and the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“Let us exhaust all diplomatic means possible to have our resources be readily available for the affected Filipinos so that we can help them as soon as the situation permits,” he said.
