DMW says Filipino wounded in Israel-Gaza war
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers said Monday that at least one Filipino was injured in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel that a Filipino was shot while being rescued.
“He got shot in the arm, grazed by a bullet. But he’s not in a life-threatening situation. He’s in a hospital,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
Eight Filipinos were rescued by the Israel Defense Forces Sunday.
Cacdac said that the government is assisting 25 overseas Filipino workers and their families to move to safer locations since the war erupted in Israel when Hamas launched a large-scale attack Saturday.
According to the DMW official, five Filipinos remained unaccounted for.
“They may have transferred or decided to move to places where their fellow Filipinos might be or where they feel they would be safer,” Cacdac said.
“We are not necessarily thinking that they’re in harm’s way, but rather it’s just a matter or an effort to find them,” he added.
There are around 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, but most of them live outside the conflict area in the southern region near the Gaza Strip. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, around 150 Filipinos are in Gaza.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview with People’s Television that no Filipinos have requested repatriation at this time.
De Vega advised Filipinos in Israel to stay at home or go to bomb shelters.
Filipino workers in Israel and their families can contact the DMW’s hotline +63 2 1348 or the following WhatsApp and Viber numbers: +63 9083268344, +63 9271478186 or +63 9205171059 for emergencies.
The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv is available at +972-54-4661188 or +972-50-911-4017 for further assistance.
More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise large-scale attack Saturday. Meanwhile, Gaza officials reported at least 413 deaths in the impoverished and blockaded enclave, which was hammered by intense Israeli air strikes.
The escalation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine follows months of rising violence, mostly in the occupied West Bank, and tensions around Gaza's border and at contested holy sites in Jerusalem. — with report from Agence France-Presse
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