Philippines maintains Alert Level 1 in Israel following Gaza ceasefire
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is maintaining the Alert Level 1 — a "precautionary" alert — over Israel after a ceasefire was reached in the Gaza Strip, but asks parties to "respect the terms" of the ongoing truce.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said no Filipino was reported harmed. However, the department said it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of the 106 Filipinos in Gaza.
"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 department said in a statement dated August 8.
Israel has conducted heavy aerial and artillery bombardment in the Gaza Strip since Friday last week. In retaliation, the Israeli army said armed Palestinian groups fired over a thousand rockets.
Gaza’s health ministry said the conflict killed 46, including 16 children, and wounded 360 in the enclave. Israel reportedly insists that some of the civilian deaths were due to the rockets fired by the Palestinian groups.
The Egypt-brokered ceasefire was implemented on Sunday but both parties said they would respond to any form of aggression. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation.
The Alert Level 1 hoisted means that the Philippines will be in a “precautionary phase.” The DFA said its foreign service posts in Tel Aviv and Amman will keep an eye out on the situation.
"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. — with reports from Agence France-Presse
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