MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - Hundreds of foreign passport holders and wounded trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn territory on Wednesday as the Rafah crossing to Egypt opened for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

AFP images showed whole families carrying their belongings and several injured people in wheelchairs as well as ambulances entering the heavily fortified gates at the Rafah border crossing -- the only one not controlled by Israel.

Filipinos "are not yet included in the initial list of those allowed to exit Rafah Crossing into Egypt" — except for 2 doctors working with Doctors without Borders, said Vice Consul Teri Bautista of the Philippine Embassy in Israel.

"The Embassy is in touch with the Israeli Foreign Ministry to obtain more information on this development as well as to push for the soonest exit of Filipinos from Gaza," Bautista said.

A total of 136 Filipinos were trapped in Gaza, including 51 minors. The Filipinos are accompanied by 41 Palestinian spouses.

At least 57 Filipinos are already at the Rafah border, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said.

“Handa sila tumawid anytime. Kung sinabi ng Rafah Crossing tawid na kayo, ngayon mismo tatawid na sila right now. So we hope hindi na sila umalis doon,” De Vega said.

“We’re asking the Israelis to give priority [to Filipinos]… There are 57 of them at the crossing entrance. Stay there, stay put, and be ready to cross anytime. It can happen within the next 24 hours,” he added in an ANC interview.

While it is not yet clear how long the crossing will remain open, the evacuation is limited and will be done in batches, De Vega said.

Members of international organizations will be among the first to exit. The 2 Filipinos working with Doctors Without Border are Dr. Darwin Dela Cruz and Dr. Regidor Esguerra, the official said.

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SOME FILIPINOS WARY OF LEAVING GAZA; 10 UNACCOUNTED FOR

The DFA acknowledged that not all Filipinos in Gaza wanted to go back to the Philippines, since there was no guarantee that their Palestinian spouses would be allowed to exit the Hamas-run territory.

At least 9 Filipinos "insist on remaining in Gaza City", which bore the brunt of Israel's retaliatory strikes for the Hamas attack, De Vega said.

But as of Wednesday night, De Vega said only 3 Filipinos remain in Gaza City, while the 6 others are already in Rafah.

"Their chief concern would be what would happen to their Palestinian relatives. As far as we know no Palestinian yet will be allowed to cross [Rafah], except those critically injured or wounded and would need medical assistance," the official said.

"That would mean the Filipinos will have to make the difficult decision of leaving their Palestinian fathers or husbands there... That's why at most we believe only about 78 or if we could round it off to 80 have decided to leave and out of that 80, 57 are ready to go right now," he added.

The Philippines has expressed readiness to take in Filipinos' Palestinian spouses, should they find a way to leave Gaza. Under DFA rules, they are entitled to one-year visas as spouses of Filipino nationals.

As of Wednesday night, De Vega said all 136 Filipinos in Gaza, including the two doctors, are safe and accounted for.

He also said more Filipinos are interested in getting repatriated.

“Hindi naman natin sinabi na hindi sila makakabalik sa Israel. Basta may papeles sila sa Israel, makakabalik ‘yang mga ‘yan kapag wala na ‘yung gera,” De Vega said.

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SITUATION IN GAZA

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Egypt announced that the most badly wounded, foreigners, and dual nationals could flee Gaza, which has suffered weeks of relentless bombardment by Israel.

The bombing campaign has cost the lives of more than 8,500 people, mostly civilians and including more than 3,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel has pounded Gaza for more than three weeks in retribution for the worst attack in the country's history, when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border, killing 1,400 people, also mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

AFP reporters saw more tanks pour over the border into northern Gaza, as Israel stepped up its ground incursion.

Images provided by the military showed troops picking through bombed-out houses searching for militants or some of the 240 hostages seized by Hamas.

Israel said 11 of its soldiers had been killed Tuesday in "fierce battles" with Hamas militants "deep inside the Gaza Strip".

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has vowed to turn Gaza into a "graveyard" for invading forces.

The border opening with Egypt provided the first glimmer of hope in the flaring humanitarian crisis in Gaza which the UN and other aid agencies have described as "unprecedented".

A strike on Gaza's largest refugee camp killed at least 47 people Tuesday -- including a Hamas commander involved in the October 7 attacks, according to Israel.

• Israel strikes refugee camp, kills Hamas commander

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains desperate, with food, fuel, and medicine for the 2.4 million residents all running short, according to aid groups.

Surgeons are conducting amputations on hospital floors without anesthetic, and children are forced to drink salty water, said Jean-Francois Corty, vice-president of Medecins du Monde, which has 20 staff on the ground.

The Palestinian telecommunications agency said Wednesday that phone and internet services had "been completely cut off in Gaza", the second such blackout in a week.

With fears mounting the violence could spiral into a regional war, US President Joe Biden called for "urgent mechanisms" to dial down tensions and said they would send his top diplomat Antony Blinken on another Middle East tour from Friday.

Israelis are facing a daily barrage of aerial attacks from Hamas and other Iran-backed groups around the Middle East.

— With reports from Agence France-Presse; Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News

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