The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised the crisis alert level, in response to the relentless Israeli bombardments targeting the Gaza Strip.
This development was confirmed by DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega in a statement to ABS-CBN News on Thursday.
Gaza is the only region under Alert Level 3, while Israel remains at Alert Level 2. Alert Level 2 restricts non-essential movement for Filipinos and suspends the deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the affected area.
Currently, there are approximately 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and 137 in Gaza, which has been subjected to thousands of rocket attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. In response, Israel launched a series of strikes on Hamas targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people. Tragically, at least 2 Filipinos have lost their lives in the conflict.
Amid these dire circumstances, numerous Filipinos in Gaza have expressed a desire for repatriation. However, mounting evacuation flights has proven challenging due to the ongoing conflict.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega shared that diplomatic efforts are underway to secure permission for around 70 Filipinos who wish to return. He also advised Filipinos to avoid Hamas-affiliated structures, as they are the primary targets of Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military has reported that the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, marking one of the deadliest episodes in the country’s history. Meanwhile, officials in Gaza have reported over 1,000 casualties resulting from Israel’s sustained air and artillery strikes.
As of late Wednesday, the United Nations reported that the number of displaced individuals in Gaza had surged to approximately 338,000. Additionally, the UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, expressed deep concern over the extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, including sewage facilities that serve over a million people, leading to a hazardous buildup of solid waste in the streets.
