At least three Filipinos remain in the war-stricken Gaza City despite the mandatory evacuation imposed by the Philippine government to the said city, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Wednesday.
"I would like to correct something that we have been saying. We’ve been saying [that] all Filipinos have been evacuated to the south, but there are apparently still three Filipino nationals in Gaza City, including a father and child who are [in the] hospital," de Vega said in an interview with another media outlet.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier placed Gaza City under Alert Level 4.
According to de Vega, the cannot instruct the remaining Filipinos in Gaza City to move to South Sudan because they are in a hospital.
"Everywhere is critical. Of course, the southern part is where it's supposed to be safer but our kababayan themselves say they're hearing airstrikes. It’s not as bad as the northern Gaza," he said.
In Israel, De Vega said that two Filipinos remain missing while the other person is most likely taken hostage.
