THE Philippines has placed Gaza under Alert Level 3 amid the ongoing reprisal strikes by Israel, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Thursday.
Alert Level 3 means voluntary repatriation.
There are 137 Filipinos in Gaza, De Vega told GMA Integrated News.
Alert Level 2, meanwhile, is raised over Israel, which is home to at least 30,000 Filipino workers, most of them caregivers,
The DFA said that Alert Level 2 entails restriction of non-essential movements, avoiding places of protest, and preparation for possible evacuation.
Earlier, a Reuters report said the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip as heavy Israeli bombardments continue to hit the Palestinian enclave.
OCHA said nearly 220,000 people, or two-thirds of the displaced people, have sought shelter in schools run by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Another nearly 15,000 people fled to schools run by the Palestinian Authority, while more than 100,000 were being sheltered by relatives, neighbors and a church and other facilities in Gaza City.
OCHA said that around 3,000 people had already been displaced within the enclave prior to Saturday’s attack.
Hamas militants carried out their deadliest attack in Israel’s history on Saturday, when gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns, killing more than 1,000 people and taking scores of hostages to Gaza.
Israel has retaliated with air strikes on Gaza that have razed entire districts as it prepares for a possible ground offensive.
The DFA earlier reported that two Pinoys were killes following Hamas’ attack on Israel.
