Given the strained situation in the Gaza Strip, scene of destruction caused by Israeli heavy airstrikes on Wednesday following the weekend surprise assault by Hamas militants, the Philippine government has put Gaza under crisis alert level 3.
This calls for voluntary or assisted repatriation of Filipinos there, where at least three Filipino caregivers have been confirmed killed.
Officials say there are 137 Filipinos living in the Gaza Strip from a total 30,000 in various areas in Israel. At least 70 Filipinos – including 19 caregivers and three hotel workers who have expressed readiness to leave – are seeking repatriation from Gaza.
Israel, reacting to the weekend surprise assault by the militants, pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people.
Within the framework of what’s established in the Glossary on Migration No. 7 of the International Organization for Migration, voluntary repatriation or voluntary return is “the independent or assisted return to the country of origin, transit or to a third country based on the free will of the person who returns.”
To be lawful under international refugee law, repatriation of refugees must be voluntary, safe and carried out with dignity and must always respect the mandatory principle of non-refoulement that prohibits sending people back to a place where their life and safety is in danger.
Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said only Gaza, which has now no water and electricity, was under Alert 3, while Israel remained under Alert 2, which restricts non-essential movement of Filipinos and suspends deployment of workers there.
De Vega said several Filipinos in Gaza have requested repatriation, but mounting evacuation flights remained a challenge as Israel continued to pound Hamas positions.
He added there is a continuing blockade in Gaza, reason Philippine officials are looking for a diplomatic contact to allow 70 Filipinos to be repatriated.
According to the United Nations, more than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip amid heavy Israeli bombardment, with Israeli forces saying 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the Hamas onslaught Saturday—the worst in the country’s history.
In Gaza, officials reported more than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel’s sustained campaign of air and artillery strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to “wipe out” Hamas and said there is “no contradiction” between launching a ground offensive and rescuing hostages.