Palestinian spouses of 2 Pinays opt to stay in Gaza; 33 arrive at Egypt border

MANILA, Philippines - Only 33 of the 37 Filipinos and Palestinians who were earlier reported to be moving out of the Gaza Strip have successfully crossed the border at Egypt as two Palestinian spouses opted to stay behind.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bayani Mangibin told GMANews.TV on Tuesday that the foreign husbands only escorted their families to the designated safe zone in the Egypt-Gaza border of Rafah.

The son of one of the Palestinians also stayed behind to attend his college graduation scheduled later this week, Mangibin said.

“The Palestinians [spouses of Filipinas in Gaza] would be given temporary visas by the Philippine Embassy in Cairo before entering the Philippines," Mangibin said in an interview.

Under Philippine immigration laws, the Palestinian nationals from Gaza should first secure a temporary visit visa with countries like Egypt, Jordan or Israel, as the Philippines has no direct diplomatic relations in the conflict-ridden area.

Lawyer Gary Mendoza, chief of the Philippine immigration regulation division, said the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has assured that special consideration would be given to the foreign spouses to expedite the immigration process.

On January 8, a total of 16 Filipinos returned to the country using the Israel-Gaza border of Erez as their exit point. A Filipino nun, who was among the first batch of evacuees, stayed in Jerusalem under the care of a Latin patriarch.

With Israeli troops moving out of Gaza, ending a three-week war against Hamas militants, evacuation plans for the civilians trapped in the area resumed. Although both sides declared ceasefire in the area, reports said the situation remains tensed.

Mangibin said the Philippine government would not cease in the evacuation of the remaining Filipinos in the area.

“We are always looking for a window of opportunity to evacuate them," he said. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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