Courtesy: Medical aid for Palestinians
THE government urged the remaining Pinoys still in Gaza City to leave the country as situation is getting worse.
A total of 41 more Filipinos from Gaza arrived in the Philippines on Sunday night and 14 others are expected to follow as the Philippine government continues its repatriation efforts in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The recent repatriates are part of the second batch of those who went back to the country after the first batch composed of 35 Filipinos arrived in Manila on Friday afternoon.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega is calling on the remaining Filipinos there to leave and take advantage of the current border opening as the situation there has already turned very bad amid the Israel-Hamas war.
“Napakasama na ng condition ngayon sa Gaza, kaya mabuti pa’y tugunan ninyo ang pananawagan namin na mandatory repatriation, at pagsamantalahan na habang ngayon, bukas pa ang border crossing,” de Vega, who is currently in Cairo, said in an interview with GMA News.
”We hope na (that) in the next few days, tumawid kayo (you cross the border),” he added as the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt is only being opened for a certain period of time as war continues.
From the original 137 Filipinos in Gaza, there are now about 39 remaining.
Meanwhile, the next group of those who crossed the border was composed of 56 Filipinos. Forty-one of them formed the second batch of repatriates who arrived in Manila on Sunday night, while one decided to stay in Egypt and 14 returned again to Gaza.
The 14 returned because their Palestinian spouses were not given security clearance to leave, de Vega said in a recent interview.
