Filipinos’ evacuation to Egypt delayed

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

RECENT ATTACKS along the route to the Rafah Border Crossing have delayed the evacuation of about 20 Filipinos to Egypt from Sunday to Monday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

“It should have been today (Nov. 5), 20 Filipinos were to be included among those exiting Gaza to Egypt, but it has been moved to tomorrow, Monday,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo A. de Vega told BusinessWorld in a WhatsApp message.

Mr. De Vega said Israel has accused Hamas of attacking the Egypt border, while Hamas claimed Israel forces were behind attacks on convoys headed to the border.

“There are conflicting stories so we cannot confirm anything,” he said. “All we wish to emphasize is that so far, our countrymen in Gaza are uninjured, but we want them to be able to cross as soon as possible.”

Last Friday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. told reporters that Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had committed to ensure the evacuation of Filipinos trapped in conflict.

“They have been waiting for a long time at the crossing, the Rafah crossing. And they are ready when the time comes for the Filipinos to cross and be taken and sent home,” said Mr. Marcos.

Mr. De Vega said all 136 Filipinos in Gaza have been allowed to leave the strip after the Rafah border crossing opened last week.

He said another batch of 26 Filipinos are set to cross to Egypt but are unsure of when they would return to the Philippines.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, Al Jazeera reported on Nov. 1.

As many as 500 foreign nationals and several injured Palestinians needing medical treatment in Egypt would be allowed to leave the enclave, it said.

Before the Rafah Border Crossing opened, Mr. De Vega said there were only 57 Filipinos looking to cross into Egypt, citing a decrease from the 78 earlier reported as some Filipinos stopped waiting and had gone to southern parts of Gaza.

As of Sunday, only about 46 were willing to leave Gaza from the 115 reported right after the border opened, Mr. De Vega said. There are six Filipinos left in Gaza City, including a Filipina nun, he added.

“Filipinos currently at Rafah crossing is not consistent throughout any day, but the 46 when given notice, will be ready to cross at any time when told,” said the DFA official.

He told the ABS-CBN Teleradyo Serbisyo on Sunday that the Philippine Embassy in Egypt is trying to convince some Filipinos to cross to safety as the Israeli government is still undecided on allowing spouses to also leave Gaza.

“It is better now that there is permission to cross,” Mr. De Vega said. “They will still be able to return to their spouses after the war,” he added, referring to Filipinos married to Palestinians.

More than 360 foreign passport holders, including two Filipino doctors working with Doctors Without Borders, were evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt on Nov.1.

The DFA earlier placed Gaza under Alert Level 4 for forced repatriation.

On Nov. 2, Gaza health authorities said the death toll in Israel’s war against Hamas had surpassed 10,000. At least four Filipinos have died in the worsening conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Philippines was one of 45 countries that abstained from a United Nations (UN) resolution passed last week calling for a sustained and immediate “humanitarian truce” in Gaza.

The United States and Israel voted no to the resolution, which was drafted by a group of 22 Arab countries.

The UN resolution is nonbinding, but serves as a barometer of global opinion as fighting between Israel and Hamas nears the end of its third week.

The UN General Assembly voted after the UN Security Council failed to act over two weeks, with the US and Russia using their veto powers to block proposals supported by the other.

The adopted resolution calls for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” and “firmly rejects any attempts at the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.”

“We wanted something which would be more balanced and reflective of the actual situation in the area,” Mr. De Vega said last week, commenting on the Philippines’ abstention.