The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Filipinos in Gaza Strip to stay in their houses despite seemingly good news of a ceasefire between Israel and the militant Islamic Jihad group.
There is no Filipino reported injured or killed in the past two days of violence near the Gaza Strip. It started when Israel conducted airstrikes, targeting a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza whom they claimed as planning to launch attacks in Israel. In retaliation, Palestinian militants fired more than 1,000 rockets at Israel, prompting residents in major cities including Tel Aviv and south of Israel to flee to shelters. At least 44 people including 15 children were killed in the past two days of violence.Egypt brokered the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, which took into effect Monday 430am Manila time.
“Despite the ceasefire, the DFA reminds Filipinos in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas to remain in their residences as much as possible, to avoid public areas, and to continue to monitor the security situation through the Embassies’ official communication channels,” the DFA said.
In a Facebook post, The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv has also advised Filipinos Israel to refrain from from going to Golan Heights, areas near the border of Gaza.
They were also advised to be careful when riding public vehicles and when at the bus stops, to wait at the back of the state or behind metal/cement barriers if there are any, and to stay away from people waiting for bus.”
The DFA welcomes the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and hopes that the ceasefire holds. We call on parties to exercise restraint and to respect the terms of the ceasefire,” the DFA said in a statement.
It said the Philippine embassies in Israel and Jordan are monitoring the situation to determine if there is a need to evacuate Filipinos in Gaza Strip. There are 106 Filipinos in Gaza.”The safety and security of every Filipino overseas remains the priority of the Philippine government,” it added.
So far, the Alert Level remains at 1, which is the lowest contingency level.
Image credits: AP/Fatima Shbair, AP/Adel Hana