DFA exec: Mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Israel not yet considered ---- By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Tuesday that mandatory evacuation amid the massive attacks launched by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel is not yet being considered. "Not yet considered," De Vega told GMA News Online when asked if there’s a possibility of imposing mandatory evacuation. "Mandatory is, in case there is breakdown of authority and absolute war. Israel has a stable government," he added. De Vega said the situation in Israel is already stabilizing, adding that mandatory evacuation could be considered if there will be attacks in Tel Aviv. According to OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio, two Filipinos have been wounded amid the conflict. Ignacio said that one of the wounded Filipinos was hospitalized in a Health Liaison Office (HLO) while the other, who suffered from suffocation, was staying in a hotel in Tel Aviv. Further, Ignacio said there were seven Filipinos that are unaccounted for. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), meanwhile, said that at the proper time, authorities will repatriate Filipinos in Israel who wish to go back to the Philippines. In a radio interview, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac explained that there would be safety and security concerns if they mass evacuate the affected Filipinos in Israel now. "Sa tamang oras, sa tamang panahon, in coordination with the Israeli authorities, ay tayo ay magsasagawa evacuation-repatriation doon sa mga nagnanais umuwi. Kapag dumating sa punto ng mandatory repatriation, ay isasagawa rin natin ito," Cacdac said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (We will conduct evacuation-repatriation for those who wish to return home at the right time, in coordination with the Israeli authorities. When it comes to the point of mandatory repatriation, we will also carry that out.) As of Monday, 22 Filipinos, who sought help from the Philippine Embassy, have been rescued and transferred to safer areas or housed in hotels. There are currently 30,000 Filipinos, mostly caregivers, in Israel. For their safety, Filipinos have been advised to stay indoors and follow instructions by local authorities. On Saturday, Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years, firing rockets and deploying gunmen to several Israeli towns. A “state of war alert” was issued by Israel’s Home Front Command thereafter. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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