26 Pinoys still in Gaza, 10 of them set to cross Egypt border, DFA says --- Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News

Ten of the 26 Filipinos who are still in Gaza are set to cross the border to Egypt amid the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday. “There are 26 left as per [Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos]...they are coordinating with us. And 10 are set to cross,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an ANC interview. De Vega expressed optimism that the Filipinos will be able to exit Gaza via Rafah Border Crossing with their Palestinian spouses. So far, 111 Pinoys already left Gaza but only 108 of them were repatriated to the Philippines because three decided to reside in Cairo, Egypt. The total number of Pinoys who were repatriated to the Philippines is 109 including a baby who was born in Cairo 12 days ago. On October 15, the Philippines placed Gaza under Alert Level 4 amid the strikes by Israel. It means evacuation for Filipinos is mandatory. Hamas on October 7 burst across the border fence by Israel, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to the Israeli government. Since then, around 13,000 Gazans have been killed by Israeli bombardment, around 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel and Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday morning, mediators in Qatar said.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News

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