DFA urges Pinoys in Gaza to come home

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) appealed yesterday to Filipinos in strife-torn Gaza Strip to return to the Philippines as the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate.

The DFA raised yesterday crisis alert level 3 in the Gaza Strip, where there are about 109 Filipinos.

Alert level 3 means that the deployment of new hires and returning overseas Filipino workers is banned. It also means the voluntary repatriation of Filipinos.

“The Philippine embassies in Cairo, Tel Aviv, and Amman are ready to assist those who wish to leave Gaza. These embassies continue to be in close contact with Filipinos in Gaza,” the DFA said in a statement.

Alert level 1 (precautionary phase) remained in effect in the West Bank and in Southern and Central Israel, the agency said.

An estimated 113 Filipinos are residing in the West Bank, according to the DFA. “Filipinos in these areas are advised to take the necessary precautions,” it said.

There are 36,400 Filipinos in Israel.

The number of people killed in Gaza has reached at least 159 as of yesterday, a Los Angeles Times report said. Most of the fatalities were civilians, the United Nations agency for humanitarian affairs said.

More than 1,000 people have also been wounded.

Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is also likely to stop the deployment of new hires to Kenya due to security problems.

Since the start of the year, the POEA has banned deployment to Libya, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq and Kurdistan. – With Mayen Jaymalin