The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Wednesday that no Filipino was hurt in the airstrike launched by Israel in a refugee camp in Gaza City.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, in an interview, said that they have yet to contact 10 of the 136 Filipinos in Gaza.
At least 50 Palestinians were killed when Israeli airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in north Gaza on Tuesday, as Israeli ground forces battled Hamas gunmen based in a sprawling tunnel network.
According to De Vega, 57 Filipinos are currently in Gaza, waiting for the opening of the Rafah Crossing to enter Egypt. He said the number went down from 78 after some left due to the extreme difficulty of the living conditions near the border.
DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza earlier said that the Rafah border crossing is crucial in the efforts of evacuating Filipinos in Gaza since the checkpoint between Egypt and Rafah is the only route out of Gaza that is not under Israeli control.
