MANILA – One Filipino is feared to be dead while two others were hurt in the massive assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Israel since weekend.
According to Philippine Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Anthony Mandap, they are verifying if there is already a Filipino casualty.
“Nangangamba kami na baka magkaroon tayo ng first casualty,” Mandap said in an interview over Radyo 630 on Tuesday. “Sinisiyasat pa namin ‘yung report na pumanaw na ‘yung isa sa anim na natitirang unaccounted for.”
According to Mandap, the report of a supposed Filipino casualty came from relatives, but the Philippine embassy in Israel will verify the accuracy of the story.
“Sa ngayon we are not confirming this. We are not saying na meron na tayong kababayan na namatay,” he said. “We are crossing our fingers that this is not true.”
Mandap also said one Filipino is being treated at a hospital for injuries sustained during the rescue, while another one is being treated for smoke inhalation.
“Ligtas naman sila. Kailangan lang siguruhin na hindi magiging permanente yung kanilang pinsala,” said Mandap, who added that they were already discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said they are still waiting for a safe window to repatriate Filipinos from Israel.
According to him, even if there are already funds and personnel on standby, they are still waiting for the right time as Israel advised residents to stay indoors for now.
“Hindi pa ito yung tamang panahon na mag-mass repatriation…Maselan yung sitwasyon, hindi pa safe,” Cacdac said. “We will be ready as soon as repatriation will be given a go-signal.”
The Hamas assault launched on Saturday has so far killed at least 800 Israelis and injured 2,600 more, the Israeli government said.
Israeli’s retaliatory air strikes on Gaza targets have killed 687 people and wounded another 3,727, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Hamas, which dragged off about 150 hostages in its surprise weekend assault on southern Israel, threatened on Monday to kill them if Israeli air strikes continue “targeting” Gaza residents without warning.
The threat came after Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply which sparked United Nation fears of an increasingly dire humanitarian situation./PN
