All 136 Pinoys in Gaza safe, accounted for —envoy By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News

The 136 Filipinos in Gaza affected by the war between Israel and the Hamas group have remained safe and accounted for as they await repatriation and make do with limited food and water, Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos said Tuesday. Santos said that these Filipinos are still stranded in Gaza pending the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing for evacuees. Rafah is the main route in and out of the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel. “Lahat sila hindi pa makaalis dahil sarado pa ‘yung Rafah Border Crossing. Pero inaasahan namin na since nagbukas na ang border crossing na ‘yan to allow humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza, susunod na sana sa madaling panahon ang pagbukas ng border para makalikas at makatawid na ang ating mga kababayan,” the ambassador said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (All of them have not yet left because the Rafah Border Crossing is still closed. But we hope that since the border crossing has opened to allow humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza, the border will also soon open to allow our countrymen to evacuate and cross.) The Philippines earlier raised Alert Level 4 in Gaza City, meaning evacuation for Filipinos there is mandatory. Despite this, Santos said that not all Filipinos in Gaza have decided to leave the city. He said it is still uncertain how many Filipinos will really cross the border to Egypt once it is opened. “Ang advise namin sa kanila na since Alert Level 4 na ang dineclare ng ating pamahalaan sa buong Gaza, dapat lumikas na sila, mag-repatriate na. But meron pa rin sa kanila na hindi pa decided dahil ayaw nilang iwan ‘yung mga asawa nila na Palestino. Pero majority ng ating mga kababayan have expressed their wish to leave Gaza and cross the border to Egypt,” he said. (We advise them that since our government has declared Alert Level 4 in Gaza, they should evacuate already. But some of them are still undecided because they don't want to leave their Palestinian spouses. But the majority of our countrymen have expressed their wish to leave Gaza and cross the border to Egypt.) Filipinos stranded in Gaza were earlier reported to have been running out of food, with some resorting to eating spoiled bread. Over the weekend, the first humanitarian aid convoy carrying medicine and limited food sent to the Gaza Strip since the war broke out began moving through the Rafah Border Crossing from Egypt, according to a Reuters report. Santos said food, water, and electricity are already available but are still limited. The “bayanihan” spirit, however, remained “alive and strong” among Filipinos there despite such problems. “Ang magandang nabalitaan namin ay nagtutulungan ang ating mga kababayan sa Gaza. Kung sino man ang may extra resources or facilities, they share them with each other,” Santos said. (The good news we heard is that our countrymen in Gaza are working together. Whoever has extra resources or facilities, they share them with each other.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News

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