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Monday, January 05, 2009
66 Pinoys in Israel to be sent home
MANILA -- At least 66 Filipinos have agreed to be repatriated to the country from the battle-scarred Gaza Strip in Israel, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said they have already made arrangements for Filipinos who have agreed to return to the country to escape the ongoing Israeli military campaign.
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"The plan is to move them on Monday out of Gaza to Amman, Jordan from where they will take their flight to Manila," Conejos said.
He said most of Filipinos in Gaza are married to Palestinians, adding that 21 Filipino families are living in the Gaza Strip.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier ordered the immediate evacuation of Filipinos willing to leave the war-torn Hamas stronghold that has been under massive Israeli attack over the last nine days.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan Sunday afternoon that the President has directed all concerned government agencies, particularly the DFA, to ensure that the Filipinos are kept out of harm's way.
The government does not plan to conduct a similar program for the thousands of Filipinos working and living in Israel, which has seen its southern communities, including the cities of Sderot and Bersheeba, attacked by rocket and mortar fire from Hamas militants since a six-month truce expired last month.
The situation in Gaza, a narrow strip of land wedged between Israel and Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, took a dramatic turn for the worse when Israel mounted a ground invasion of the Hamas territory Saturday.
On Sunday, invading Israeli ground forces fought fierce battles against Hamas militants after escalating an eight-day bombing blitz that killed more than 400 Palestinians and wreaked widespread destruction to infrastructure.
Israel said it launched the attack on Gaza Strip starting with sustained air strikes in retaliation for continuing Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli territory over the last two years.
The ground operation, which started Saturday night, came despite the appeals of the United Nations (UN) and other international humanitarian groups for an end to the attacks that have caused serious displacement among residents. (AH/With PNA/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (January 5, 2009 issue)
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