MANILA — The Philippines is set to repatriate 62 Filipinos from Israel, bringing the number of Filipino nationals fleeing the conflict in the Middle East to 123, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Saturday.

The fourth repatriation flight from Tel Aviv, which will arrive in Manila next week, will carry 32 hotel workers, 28 caregivers and two infants, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in a news forum in Quezon City.

• Over 124 OFWs want to be repatriated from Lebanon: DMW

While there are contingency plans in case Israel’s main airport is closed, “the safest and most accessible means” for repatriation is still flying them out, he said.

Just like other overseas Filipino workers who returned to the country from Israel, the new batch of repatriates will receive cash aid from the DMW, the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Cacdac said.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO REPATRIATED OFWS

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will also provide assistance packages to ensure that repatriated workers would still have a source of income while they are in the Philippines, he said.

The Philippine government is still coordinating with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to gather more information about the status of 2 Filipinos who remain unaccounted for, Cacdac said.

• Israel envoy says 2 missing Filipinos 'likely kidnapped' by Hamas

The DMW chief declined to provide details about the missing Filipinos, citing their families’ need for privacy.

Meanwhile, The Philippines is mounting its first repatriation flight from Lebanon for 124 OFWs who wish to return home, Cacdac said, saying the flight may be mounted “this coming week.”

Of the 17,000 OFWs in Lebanon, some 170 are staying in the southern part where Israeli forces are fighting militant group Hezbollah.

The Philippine government will also be sending an augmentation team to Israel to help in the processing of OFWs who wish to leave the war-torn country.