MANILA — Three Filipinos remain in Gaza, including a father and child who are in a hospital, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, after the Hamas-controlled territory faced 18 days of withering Israeli air strikes and a near-total blockade.

While the father and child could not be easily evacuated, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said authorities were "trying to make humanitarian aid reach them in Gaza

"Hopefully every resident of Gaza including foreign nationals could be given protection and assistance," he told ANC.

He said he hoped the three remaining Filipinos in Gaza could join other Pinoys waiting to cross Egypt for repatriation "by the weekend."

Of the 136 Filipinos reported to be in Gaza when the conflict broke out, half are from the Philippines and the rest are their children with their Palestinian spouses, De Vega noted.

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Meanwhile, two other Filipinos in Israel are still missing after the unprecedented Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas militants, the DFA said.

De Vega said one of the missing Filipinos is a woman with an Israeli passport while the other was "most likely" taken hostage.

"We hope that eventually they will be released as well," he said.

So far Hamas has only released four hostages, including an 85-year-old Israeli.

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Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7 poured into Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,400 people and taking 222 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to "eliminate Hamas" and ensure it can no longer threaten Israeli civilians.

But there is growing international unease about the impact of Israel's "Operation Swords of Iron", which has killed thousands of Palestinians.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry claims 5,791 people have been killed in the war so far, many of them children.

Israel has continued massing tens of thousands of troops around Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive.

DFA: ALERT COULD BE RAISED IN WEST BANK

In Israel-occupied West Bank, De Vega said at least 4 out of 122 Filipinos sought government assistance for evacuation due to escalating hostilities.

He said the repatriation would not be difficult as the Filipinos could pass through Jordan where "there’s no blockade."

The DFA may raise the alert level in the West Bank and call for voluntary repatriation of Filipinos there, De Vega added.

Some 113 Filipinos in Lebanon are also seeking repatriation as fighting continued between Hamas-linked Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops, he said.

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De Vega said authorities were expecting another batch of Filipino repatriates from Israel "before the end of the month."

Around 59 Filipinos have been repatriated in 3 batches, the official noted.

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse