Filipinos in Gaza Strip refuse repatriation

MANILA, Philippines - Trapped Filipinos in the Gaza Strip want to evacuate, but are refusing to be repatriated to the Philippines, a Philippine ambassador said Wednesday.

"The report from our embassy in Cairo, 15 [Filipinos] have signified that they want to leave Gaza Strip but not necessarily to be repatriated," said Philippine Ambassador to Jordan and Palestine Olivia Palala in a radio interview.

Palala said that the 15 Filipinos only want to be transferred to a place where they can temporarily stay to avoid bombings and air strikes between Israel and Hamas.

"They afraid of the gun fire and violence, but they did not want to leave," he said, adding that the Filipinos are also afraid that if they leave they might lose their jobs.

Palala added that Philippine embassies in Israel and Jordan are also suffering from the same dillema.

"There is hesitation among Filipinos to be repatriated all the way to the Philippines," he said.

Palala said that with this development, the Philippine Embassy in Cairo is asking Egyptian authorities to allow Filipinos who will be extracted from the Gaza Strip to stay for at least a month within their territory.

The DFA had sent extraction teams to rescue Filipinos trapped in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier reports said that there are at least 121 Filipinos are staying in the Gaza Strip.