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70 Filipinos in Gaza asking for repatriation: DFA

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Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/overseas/10/10/202231010-gaza-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Smoke billows after a missile launched from Gaza hit a car in Sderot, near the border with Gaza, southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. Israeli chief military spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Oct. 9 that the country had drafted a record of 300,000 reservists. <em>Atef Sadadi, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — At least 70 Filipinos in Gaza are asking to be repatriated, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.</p><p>DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said they have not repatriated any Filipinos in Gaza because it has been blockaded, as well as its borders in from Israel to Egypt.</p><p>“So, it’s now a diplomatic approach; we are using diplomacy along with other countries in order to have the borders open so that we can help iyong mga kababayan natin,&quot; De Vega said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/11/23/pinoy-taken-away-then-killed-by-hamas-militants-officials">Pinoy &#x27;taken away&#x27; then killed by Hamas militants: officials</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/11/23/israel-retakes-gaza-border-area-as-wars-toll-mounts">Israel retakes Gaza border area as war&#x27;s toll mounts</a></li></ul><p>&quot;So we can help countrymen and women, go through the border and kung kailangan ng evacuation, well nandiyan. Kung hindi commercial flights, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as announced, we will be able to fly them home,&quot; he said.</p><p>If these Filipinos will be able to pass through the Egypt border, he said the country&#x27;s embassy in Cairo would be able to fly them to the Philippines on a commercial flight.</p><p>&quot;Remember there are 70, it may increase. These are Filipinas married to Palestinians, they are in Gaza; pero sa Israel mismo, no evacuation is required yet but our AFP is ready,” he said.</p><p>The AFP said in the same briefing that it was ready to evacuate Filipinos caught in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/11/23/marcos-jr-denounces-terror-attacks-in-israel-amid-deaths-of-2-pinoys">Marcos Jr denounces terror attacks in Israel amid deaths of 2 Pinoys</a></li></ul><p>AFP Spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said preparations were in place in case there is a need to execute evacuation operations for Filipinos in the war-torn country.</p><p>“We already came up with a plan on how to do it, and this will be a whole-of-nation approach because what is important for us is the safety of our countrymen there in the conflict area,” Aguilar said.</p><p>The AFP has identified the Adana Airport in Turkey as a temporary “safe haven” for Filipinos who will be evacuated in case hostilities escalate further in Israel.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/10/23/not-yet-time-to-repatriate-ofws-from-israel-official">&#x27;Not yet time&#x27; to repatriate OFWs from Israel as fighting with Hamas rages: official</a></li></ul><p>There are some 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, and 137 others in the Gaza strip.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2838900" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said they have not repatriated any Filipinos in Gaza because it has been blockaded, as well as its borders in from Israel to Egypt. 

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70 Filipinos in Gaza asking for repatriation: DFA

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 11, 2023 05:44 PM PHT

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Israel

Hamas

OFW

Philippines

AFP

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