Marcos: Filipinos could flee Gaza by Friday or Saturday

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Friday that Filipinos who are waiting to leave Gaza through the Rafah border could leave within the day or by Saturday.

At a press briefing in Malacañang, Marcos said this was the promise given by Israel authorities.

"I’ve asked [Department of Foreign Affairs] Secretary Ricky Manalo to make --- well, the Ambassador, Ambassador Ilan Fluss and, of course, he has been able to get in touch with the Foreign Minister of Israel and our Ambassador, Ambassador Junie Laylo was able to see the President yesterday --- the President of Israel yesterday," Marcos said.

“So may pangako sila sa atin na maipapalabas na ang mga Pinoy by today or tomorrow. That is what they promised us, Saturday daw at the latest,” he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has expressed confidence that the remaining 134 Filipinos stranded in Gaza will be allowed to cross Rafah Crossing to Egypt "within a few days."

“Hindi ko masasabi kung kailan, but we are hopeful, we are confident within a few days. Hindi tayo tatagal ng dalawang linggo doon o 10 araw, makakalusot din ang ating mga kababayan,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told Unang Balita on Friday.

(I cannot tell when, but we are hopeful and confident it will be within a few days. It will not take two weeks or 10 days for our countrymen to cross the border.)

The President guaranteed that Philippine authorities are ready to assist Filipinos once they are allowed to leave Gaza.

"They are ready for when the time comes na tumawid na ang mga Pinoy dadalhin at pauuwiin," Marcos said.

"We have also offered our assistance to other ASEAN countries. Maraming Thai, may mga Vietnamese, mayroong mga iba’t iba," he added.

On Thursday, two of the 136 Filipinos in Gaza successfully crossed Rafah Crossing. Both are Filipino doctors who are volunteers for the international humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders. They are now safe in Egypt, according to the DFA.

According to De Vega, around 7,000 foreign nationals are allowed to use Rafah Crossing to exit Gaza but only 500 to 600 are allowed to cross the border daily for an orderly process.

De Vega said the DFA also included the names of 19 Filipinos who refused to be repatriated from Gaza — as well as their Palestinian spouses — on the list that it submitted to concerned authorities for the possible border crossing to Egypt. —KBK, GMA Integrated News