MANILA (UPDATED) — All Filipinos in Gaza City have left the area, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday, adding all 131 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip are accounted for.

The DFA ordered the mandatory repatriation of Gaza City as Israel prepares to launch a massive ground offensive in Gaza after an October 7 attack on Israeli villages by militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza.

"Merong 23 na Pilipino — itong huling batch — na umalis sa Gaza City, ayon sa ating embassy," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said on TeleRadyo Serbisyo on Monday morning.

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He said that not all Filipinos who fled Gaza City want to come home to the Philippines, with some saying they will look for somewhere else to stay in Gaza.

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WAITING TO CROSS INTO EGYPT

De Vega added that of the 131 Filipinos in Gaza, only around half are from the Philippines. The rest are their children with their Palestinian spouses.

"Meron nang 78 ang nasa border. Meron pang mga 30 na nasa ibang part ng southern Gaza. Wala nang panganib ang southern Gaza kumpara sa north," De Vega also said.

(There are 78 at the border with Egypt. There are another 30 in another part of southern Gaza. There is not as much danger there compared to the north.)

The Filipinos at the border will wait for an announcement of an international crossing into Egypt, where they will be met by Philippine government officials who will work to get them back to the Philippines.

He said some are hesitant to leave because there is no guarantee that Israel or Egypt will allow their Palestinian spouses to cross the security border.

"Unfortunately, both Israel and Egypt do not seem to be of the position that Palestinians can leave. Kasi yung Egypt, nag-aalala sila baka may makapasok na terrorist," De Vega also said.

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388 FILIPINOS IN ISRAEL SEEKING ASSISTANCE

Around 388 of more than 30,000 Filipinos in Israel are meanwhile seeking assistance from the government, Department of Migrant Workers officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said Monday.

Cacdac said at least 35 Filipinos there wanted to be repatriated, adding they might arrive in the Philippines "hopefully within this week."

"We are mainly flying them out because Ben Gurion International [Airport] is pretty much operational. At least outbound flights," he said on ANC.

Ben Gurion International Airport is near Tel Aviv, the economic center of Israel.

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