Manila - A total of 34 Filipinos, along with one Palestinian national, safely arrived in the Philippines on Friday after being stranded in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo welcomed the repatriates, who were among the 40 Filipinos who had earlier crossed the Rafah border crossing.
According to Philippines News Agency, Manalo expressed admiration for the resilience of the repatriates who endured a challenging journey from Gaza.
Manalo reassured that the DFA is working to facilitate the repatriation of more Filipinos from the region. The DFA reported that a second group of 56 Filipinos also crossed into Egyptian territory on November 9, but 14 chose not to proceed to Cairo after their Palestinian relatives were denied security clearance to cross the border. DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza mentioned efforts by embassy officials to persuade the remaining 14 to join the upcoming batch of repatriates leaving Gaza.