DFA says Gaza under Alert Level 2, Israel and West Bank under Alert Level 1

By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR Published May 20, 2021 11:27am The Philippines is prepared to evacuate Filipinos who wish to return home as conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza intensifies, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. advertisement Israel and West Bank was placed under Alert Level 1 category by the DFA, while Gaza is on Alert level 2. "The DFA is on standby with evacuation plans ready to be activated as needed and as soon as the borders open and a humanitarian corridor is established," a department advisory said. There are 29,473 Filipinos in Israel and 91 in Gaza. Alert Level 1, the lowest security category of the government for Filipinos overseas, means there are valid signs of internal disturbance, instability, and external threat to the host country. No evacuation is needed under this level, but Filipinos must exercise caution and avoid conflict zones. Level 2 entails restriction of non-essential movements, avoiding of places of protest, and preparation for possible evacuation. Philippine embassies in Tel Aviv, Amman and Cairo, the DFA said, have existing contingency measures for Filipinos caught in the 10-day hostilities, which has killed 228 in Palestine, including children, and 12 in Israel in repeated rocket attacks from both sides. No Filipino was reported injured or killed since the escalation of violence within the region, the DFA said. The Philippines is one of the world’s top labor-exporting nations with about 10 million skilled and unskilled workers scattered abroad, exposing them to abuses, unfair labor practices, and in some cases, civil strife and armed conflict. Remittances from Filipino migrant workers constitute a significant source of the country’s foreign exchange as they send home over $20 billion per year. —KBK, GMA News Tags: DFA, Pinoys in Israel, OFWs in Israel, OFWs in Gaza Strip, news

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