According to DFA appeals to leaders of Israel, Egypt to allow safe exit of Filipinos (inquirer.net), Enrique Manalo, the secretary of foreign affairs, has pleaded with Egyptian and Israeli authorities to guarantee the safety of Filipinos leaving the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing.
This was confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement on Thursday. It stated that Manalo contacted Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen right away after learning that some people might finally be able to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
According to DFA, Secretary Manalo wrote to Foreign Ministers Cohen of Israel and Shoukry of Egypt on November 1st, asking them to once more grant the required licenses to ensure Philippine countrymen's safe passage.
According to DFA appeals to leaders of Israel, Egypt to allow safe exit of Filipinos (inquirer.net), it further stated that on November 2, Secretary Manalo asked Foreign Minister Cohen to speak with him in order to follow up on his letter and make a request to guarantee the prompt departure of Filipinos across the border.
Only two Filipinos have managed to pass the Rafah border and leave the war-torn Gaza Strip thus far, according to DFA appeals to leaders of Israel, Egypt to allow safe exit of Filipinos (inquirer.net),
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stated that they are still dedicated to securing the safety of Filipinos entangled in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, despite the fact that it is still unclear when other Filipinos will be allowed to cross the border.
According to the DFA, 134 Filipinos are still in Gaza. Only 115 of them have expressed their desire to be repatriated, but all of them are present and in communication with the Philippine embassy in Amman.
