By Junex Doronio
DESPITE THE DECLARATION of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel is “at war” after Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack Saturday morning, there is still no evacuation plan for the estimated 27,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the US-backed Jewish state.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said their agency is continuing to monitor the critical situation in Israel and accounting the OFWs, most especially in areas near the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian area governed by Hamas militants and blockaded by Israel and Egypt.
“Mayroon na tayong namo-monitor, ina-account natin na Pilipino, mga OFWs na nandoon. Patuloy lang ang effort natin. We are talking to many of them and mga relatives nila. Isa-isa nating naa-account sila,” Cacdac said when interviewed over Teleradyo Serbisyo.
“So far there are no reports of Filipino casualties,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said.
He added: “There are about 27K [Filipinos] in Israel but the vast majority are situated in places other than the Gaza area.”
Gaza is a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza also disclosed that the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv received “unconfirmed reports” that some Filipinos working near the Israeli border were captured on Saturday morning.
Maharlika NuMedia gathered that at least 300 people have died and thousands of others are wounded in Israel.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 232 Palestinians have died and more than 1,600 are wounded in Gaza.
Israel launched air strikes on the territory while its forces clashed on the ground with Hamas fighters.
On the other hand, the Israeli foreign ministry claimed that more than 200 Israelis have been killed. (ai/mnm)