Filipinos from Israel, Gaza begin arrivingResidents inspect the damage to their building in the southern city of Ashkelon on October 9, 2023, after it was hit during the night by a rocket from the Gaza Strip. Rafah, which borders Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula with the Hamas-controlled Gaza, is the only border crossing in Gaza not controlled by Israel. The names of Filipinos in Gaza, including the 78 waiting to be allowed into Egypt through the Rafah border, have been submitted to Egyptian authorities for processing of their request. The DFA said Filipinos in Gaza who would be able to make it to Egypt would be repatriated to the Philippines. According to De Vega, all the 135 Filipinos in Gaza were safe, with 78 of them at the Rafah border.
