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

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