Israeli gov’t committed to well-being of OFWs – envoy

The Israeli government is committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of Filipino workers in their country amid its ongoing war with the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist Hamas, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said Tuesday.

"The Israeli government is committed to the well-being of all Filipinos and all other nationals that are living in Israel. We are committed to them the same as we are committed to the wellbeing of Israeli citizens," Fluss said in a public briefing.

He assured that Filipinos who were in Israel would receive equal protection from the government against Hamas.

"We do not discriminate. They get the same protection and they follow the same protocols. They live with us and amongst us," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that there are almost 30,000 OFWs in Israel, including 137 others in Gaza – the epicenter of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The DFA said at least seven Filipinos were reportedly unaccounted for in Israel.

Fluss said the Israeli government is also worried about their situation.

"We know there are seven Filipinos who haven't been accounted yet for, so we also are very much worried about their wellbeing," he said.

Since the surprise attack by Hamas in Israel over the weekend, the Israeli ambassador said that their government had slowly regained control of the areas previously occupied by Hamas.

"We are slowly regaining full control. We don't have full control yet, but we have full control in the towns and villages," he said.

"There are still some, [who are] sort of hiding in the bushes and trees around, and we are trying to identify them. At the same time, some are still trying to enter Israel, so we still have a few incidents, so it's not fully yet in control," he added.

'Rescued'

Meanwhile, DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said a total of nine Filipino families were rescued by the Philippine Embassy in Amman.

The rescued families are composed of 38 Filipino nationals and 11 Palestinian spouses.

"Among the 38 Filipino nationals are 17 minors whose ages range from 2 to 15 years old," Daza said.

As of now, she noted that there were no requests for immediate repatriation from Filipinos living in Israel.

"However, the Embassy has a repatriation plan in place and is ready to implement the same, if needed," she said.

Daza previously said there were a total of 25 Filipinos who have expressed intent to be repatriated from Gaza.