Israel Amb. Fluss: We want to see Filipinos safe
As the conflict between Israel and the group Hezbollah continues to rage in Lebanon, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said Filipinos are free to leave the area, saying he wants them to be safe.
"We are not preventing also the evacuation of Filipinos from Lebanon, certainly not. Filipinos are not part of this war. We are not targeting them. We want to see them safe," Fluss said in an exclusive interview with GMA Integrated News' Pia Arcangel aired on "24 Oras."
At least 11,000 Filipinos are living in Lebanon.
Close to 700 overseas Filipino workers and their dependents have been repatriated by the Philippine government since the outbreak of the fighting.
The government has been urging Filipinos in Lebanon to return to the Philippines while flights are still available, and announced last week that it will charter flights to bring them home.
Israel has stepped up its attacks on Lebanon, saying it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah. But over the past year, Lebanese officials estimate that more than 2,400 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million people displaced.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has visited Israel and pushed for a halt to fighting in Gaza and a diplomatic solution to conflict in Lebanon.
Fluss, however, said Israel has conditions.
"I admit that there is a lot of human suffering and of course, there are many casualties, but out of the 42,000, how many of them are Hamas operatives and Hamas combatants? This is something that is not shared by the Hamas Ministry of Health. Let them share the numbers. We are targeting Hamas operatives. We're not targeting civilians," Fluss explained.
At least 28,000 Filipinos remain in Israel to date.—LDF, GMA Integrated News