DFA: 38 Pinoys ask for repatriation amid Israel war with Hamas

Around 38 Filipinos have requested to be repatriated amid the massive attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.

“About 38 persons,” Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told GMA News Online when asked to confirm reports of nine families or 30 people in Gaza asking for repatriation.

Asked about the steps and actions of the DFA regarding the request as well as the target date for the possible repatriation, De Vega said, “It is a complicated process due to the situation in Gaza”.

“But the Philippine Embassies in Tel-Aviv, Cairo, and Amman are working on the repatriation of Filipinos from Gaza,” he added.

In an update from DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, the Embassy of the Philippines in Amman, Jordan reported nine families consisting of 38 Filipino nationals and 11 Palestinian spouses.

Among the 38 Filipinos are 17 minors whose ages range from two to 15 years old, according to the update.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac, meanwhile, said repatriation and evacuation of Filipinos from Israel will be done "at the proper time."

“Sa tamang oras, sa tamang panahon, in coordination with the Israeli authorities, ay tayo ay magsasagawa evacuation-repatriation doon sa mga nagnanais umuwi. Kapag dumating sa punto ng mandatory repatriation, ay isasagawa rin natin ito,” Cacdac said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(We will conduct evacuation-repatriation for those who wish to return home at the right time, in coordination with the Israeli authorities. When it comes to the point of mandatory repatriation, we will also carry that out.)

Pending this, Cacdac said that authorities would continuously advise affected Filipinos to remain indoors or inside their bomb shelters to keep themselves safe.

Two Filipinos were injured amid the attacks in Israel, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Tuesday.

“Oo, pero lahat ito nagri-recover na (Yes, but both of them are already recovering),” OWWA administrator Arnell Ignacio said when asked to confirm if there were two Filipinos hurt in the violence.

According to Ignacio, one of the wounded Filipinos was hospitalized in a Health Liaison Office (HLO) while the other, who suffered from suffocation, was staying in a hotel in Tel Aviv.

Currently, Ignacio said there were seven Filipinos that are unaccounted for.

“But we're working 24/7 to account for our kababayans. Ang atin pong DFA, DMW, at meron naman tayong nakatalagang tao na nandiyan sa Israel, and of course ang [Israel Defense Forces], tinutulungan po tayo,” he said.

(But we’re working 24/7 to account for our compatriots. DFA, DMW, and designated personnel there, as well as the Israel Defense Forces, are helping us.)

The DFA on Monday said a Filipino was reportedly abducted while six others were reported missing in the ongoing armed conflict in Israel.

Based on the report from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, a Filipina reached out to Philippine diplomats and said that "she recognized her husband in one of the videos circulating in social media, which shows a man being held by armed individuals, and most likely brought to Gaza."

"Post urgently relayed this to the Israel military authorities. Post cannot independently verify his identity based on the video alone but considers the report of the wife as important. We are also working with community contacts on his case," the DFA said.

On Saturday, Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years, firing rockets and deploying gunmen to several Israeli towns. At least 22 people in Israel were killed.

A “state of war alert” was issued by Israel’s Home Front Command thereafter.

Israel said the Iran-backed group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, vowed to retaliate.

The death toll due to the attacks surged to over 1,000 as reported by officials on both sides on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.

The conflict's worst escalation in decades has claimed more than 600 lives on the Israeli side, the government press office said.

Gaza officials reported at least 370 deaths. —VAL, GMA Integrated News