The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday said it is ready to repatriate the Filipinos in Israel if things got worse in the escalating tension between the Israel military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

AFP spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, said they have drawn up an evacuation plan and identified a place where the affected Filipinos could be taken.

Aguilar said two C-130 and one C-295 planes were ready to take off should there be a need to get the Filipinos out of the war zone.

"The AFP is prepared to execute an evacuation operation should there be a need for that, and we have come up with a plan on how to do it. This will be a whole-of-nation approach because what is important for us is the safety of our countrymen," Aguilar said.

The AFP, he said, would send the planes to two "airports of embarkation" where the Filipinos could meet and be picked up.

These airports are Haifa Airport in Haifa, Israel, and the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The military spokesman said the Filipinos would also be brought to the Adana Sakirpasa Airport in Adana, Turkey, where they would be taken to a "temporary safe haven" before being flown to the Philippines.

Aguilar said they would only execute these plans on the recommendations or instructions of other government authorities.

"What is important for us is the safety of our countrymen in conflict areas," Aguilar said.

Pinoys seeking repatriation from Gaza

In the same briefing, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said 70 Filipinos in Gaza have asked to be repatriated.

"No Filipinos are asking (to be repatriated) so far from Israel. However, we have from Gaza, and the number keeps increasing," he said.

De Vega, citing Philippine Ambassador to Iran Wilfredo Santos, said 70 Filipinos in Gaza are now trying to get back home as of Wednesday, up from 38 on Tuesday.

He said the Philippine government cannot repatriate the Filipinos yet since Gaza is "under blockade," and the borders to Israel and Egypt are closed.

"So now it's a diplomatic approach. We are using diplomacy with other countries to open the borders to help our countrymen and women," De Vega said.

He said Filipinos with Palestinian wives in Gaza may be able to return to the Philippines with their wives.

"We are not preventing them from flying home to the Philippines with the (wives) if we can extract them," De Vega said.