DFA presses Egypt passage for Pinoys out of Gaza

Philippines - As the deadly Israeli offensive in Gaza stretched to its 20th day, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it was renewing its call on Egypt to reconsider opening its borders to foreign evacuees, including Filipinos.

Unless the Egypt-Gaza border in Rafah is opened, Filipino evacuees will have to wait until the northern border of Erez is safe for travel, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr.

Since the first batch of 17 Filipinos fled Gaza on Jan. 8, the intensified Israeli attacks have halted any immediate attempts to get the remaining 91 Filipinos trapped in the conflict-ridden area.

"We have not given up on Egypt," Conejos said. "We are hoping that they will open the Rafah border."

Egypt’s hesitation to open its border to foreign evacuees has contributed to the delay in the extraction of civilians out of Gaza Strip.

Since the cease-fire between Israeli troops and Hamas militants was lifted last Dec. 27, Conejos said they had been coordinating with at least three countries to evacuate the Filipinos.

Jordan was the first to open its doors to evacuees, providing them with a one-day transit pass as they move out of Gaza. (See evacuation plan here at the GMANews.TV Web site www.gmanews.tv).

But since the attacks have moved further north, the Philippine government is considering other exit points, particularly in the southern part of Gaza, where some Filipinos are still reportedly staying.

Conejos stressed that they are still communicating with their Egyptian counterparts to open their borders.

“We are working very closely with the nationals of other countries to speed up efforts to repatriate the Filipinos," he said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

Biden said set to make push for demilitarized Palestinian state as part of new doctrine ---By LAZAR BERMAN

New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, who’s close to the US administration, says emerging doctrine would include Saudi-Israeli normalization, 2-state solution, and campaign against Iran US President Joe Biden’s administration is homing in on a new doctrine involving an unprecedented push to immediately advance the creation of a demilitarized but viable Palestinian state, The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reported on Thursday. The plan, Friedman wrote, “would involve some form of US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would come into being only once Palestinians had developed a set of defined, credible institutions and security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel.” White House officials “have been consulting experts inside and outside the US government about different forms this recognition of Palestinian statehood might take,” revealed Friedman. What he termed the new “Biden Doctrin
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more