The Philippine Embassy is in regular contact with Filipino organizations and networks in conflict-ridden Jerusalem to ensure safety of Pinoys working there.
The government has also put in place contingency measures if the situation escalates. So far, no Filipino casualties have been reported from the ongoing violence between Israel and the Palestinians, according to the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, DFA Strategic Communications Executive Director Ivy Banzon-Abalos said, “Our embassy in Israel has not received any report of Filipino casualties. We have set up shelters to provide refuge to people including Filipino workers. If the tension grows, we will start with other measures. The situation is being closely monitored.” According to the DFA data, Israel had around 29,473 Filipinos in as of June 2020.
Reports showed that at least 35 people were killed in Gaza, including a dozen of children, while Israel suffered five casualties as hostilities continue unabated.
Both the Israelis and the Palestinians, however, showed no signs of de-escalating their respective operations even as international community has increasingly appealed for calm over the last few days.
In a statement, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” about the escalation of violence in Gaza and “to the heightened tensions and violence in occupied East Jerusalem.”
Guterres also urged Israeli security forces to “exercise maximum restraint and calibrate their use of force”, while adding that “indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars towards Israeli population centers is unacceptable.” (AW)
