RP stalls second pull-out plan of Filipinos in Gaza
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 01/07/2009 12:32 PM
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Intense fighting again halted a planned concerted evacuation of foreigners including Filipino nationals in the wartorn area of Gaza, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said the evacuation was called off Wednesday upon the advice of the International Red Cross.
“The concerted evacuation with the Canadian mission as focal point was planned to depart Gaza City (Red Cross Office) for Erez Crossing at 7:30 a.m. (Gaza time, 1:30 p.m. in Manila),” Conejos said in a text message to abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Conejos said that 22 Filipino nationals have indicated to the Philippine embassy their intention to be evacuated from Gaza. “As of early this morning, all Filipino nationals are unharmed,” he said.
He added that “efforts to bring the Filipino nationals out of Gaza will continue.”
The Philippine government earlier failed to pull out Filipinos trapped in Gaza last Monday because of “dangerous and dire security situation where they are staying.” Six Filipino nationals were supposed to be evacuated to the Erez border crossing.
Vice Consul Thad Hamoy of the Philippine embassy to Israel said a bus that would supposedly take the foreigners had to go back to Gaza because of a road blockade due to intense shelling.
The vice consul said that it was first suggested that passengers of the bus would disembark and walk the distance but the Red Cross was against it for fear that they could be the target of some snipers in the vicinity.
The bus was then asked to return to Gaza and an announcement that there would be no attempt for extraction today was made. “They hope to clear the road in the week and they will inform the embassies when the next evacuation will be made,” he said.
