Israel will 'do everything' to facilitate safe exit of Filipinos from Gaza —envoy

Israel's government "will do everything" to ensure the safety of Filipinos who want to exit Gaza Strip amid the armed conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, Israel's ambassador to the Philippines said Friday.

"We will do everything we can in order to facilitate the safe exit of the Filipinos from Gaza," said Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss in a virtual press briefing.

The assurance extends to all Filipinos living in Israel, Fluss said.

"Let me also say that we are doing everything we can in our hands, of course, to make sure for the safety of the Filipinos that are living in Israel," he said.

However, when asked if the Palestinian spouses of Filipinos would be allowed to exit Gaza with them, Fluss was non-committal. "We are talking only about Filipinos," he said.

Citing Israeli authorities, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier in the day said Filipinos who are waiting to leave Gaza through the Rafah border could leave by Saturday "at the latest."

"That is what they (Israel authorities) promised us, Saturday daw at the latest," Marcos said at a press briefing on Friday morning.

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

On Thursday, two Filipino doctors who are volunteers for the international humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders successfully crossed Rafah Crossing into Egypt where they are now safe.

According to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo 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 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.

Israel said it had surrounded the Gaza Strip's biggest city and the focus of its drive to annihilate Hamas.

"We're at the height of the battle. We've had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement after the military said it had encircled the seaside enclave's main city.

Mounting casualties among Palestinian civilians, along with acute shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, have intensified calls by global leaders for a pause in fighting or a ceasefire.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters his country's "troops completed the encirclement of Gaza City, which is the focal point of the Hamas terror organization."

Brigadier General Iddo Mizrahi, chief of Israel's military engineers, said troops were encountering mines and booby traps.

"Hamas has learned and prepared itself well," he said.

Israel says Hamas killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 240 hostages in the attack on Oct. 7, the deadliest day of its 75-year-old history. —KBK, GMA Integrated News