Iran rallies Arab nations vs Israel — Phl raises Alert 3 in Gaza

As Iran rallied the Islamic world to come to Palestine's aid and NATO called on Israel for "proportionality" in its attacks against Hamas, the Philippine government on Thursday mobilized its assets for the possible repatriation of its citizens from war-torn Israel and Gaza.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called on Islamic and Arab countries to confront Israel as the latter continued to wage a deadly war triggered by a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hamas' weekend onslaught saw hundreds of fighters cross into Israel in vehicles, by air and by sea, killing 1,200 people and seizing 150 hostages under the cover of a deluge of rockets.

About another 1,200 people have been killed in thousands of retaliatory Israeli strikes on Gaza, while a "complete siege" has been imposed on the impoverished Palestinian enclave of over 2.4 million people.

No info on 3rd Filipino 

With two Filipinos confirmed to have been killed, the Philippine government yesterday raised Alert Level 3 in Gaza to allow for the voluntary repatriation of its citizens from the bombed-out Gaza Strip.

At press time, there was no information on the fate of a third Filipino feared to have been killed by Hamas.

At least 22 overseas Filipino workers — 19 caregivers and three hotel workers —  have asked to be repatriated, Department of Migrant Worker Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, said that of the 137 Filipinos in Gaza, at least 70 had requested to be repatriated.

"We have been monitoring if they are on safe grounds," Cacdac said, adding that those Filipinos who were still in danger had been referred to the Israel Defense Force, or IDF.

He said that as of 12 October, the DMW had received 120 requests for assistance of various natures from OFWs.

In Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured all of the about 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and the dozens in Gaza, mostly Filipinas married to Palestinians, that the government is ready to repatriate them once the Israelis open a "humanitarian corridor" for safe passage.

Marcos said in a social media post that he had personally talked over the phone with the families of the two Filipinos killed in Israel, describing it as one of the toughest moments of his presidency. (See related story).

Iran rallies allies

In Iran, Raisi told his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in a phone call late Wednesday: "All the Islamic and Arab countries and all the free people of the world must reach a serious convergence and cooperation in the path of stopping the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation."

Raisi stressed that to stop the "genocide of the Palestinians by the Zionists," Iran will coordinate with Islamic countries "as soon as possible," the Iranian presidency website said Thursday.

Iran, which backs Hamas, on Saturday celebrated the assault on Israel, though it insisted it was not involved in it. During his call with Assad, Raisi also lashed out at Arab countries that have recently normalized or are in discussions to establish ties with Israel.

"Today, all those who made public their relations with the Zionist regime under the pretext of defending the rights of the Palestinians were disgraced, and it has been proven to the whole world that the Zionist regime is in its weakest state," Raisi said.

During the call, Assad emphasized the "necessity of rapid action at the Arab and Islamic levels to protect the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and to stop the Israeli raids targeting children and women."

NATO urges 'proportionality'

In Belgium, NATO countries on Thursday told Israel's defense minister they stood by his country after the attack by Hamas, but urged his forces to respond with "proportionality."

"Allies expressed solidarity with Israel, making it clear that it has the right to defend itself with proportionality against these unjustifiable acts of terror."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed his counterparts in the US-led military alliance via video link as his country's military carried out a bombing campaign after Islamist militants killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

NATO countries "called for Hamas to immediately release all hostages and for the fullest possible protection of civilians. Allies also clarified that no nation or organization should seek to take advantage of the situation or escalate it."

In Gaza, officials reported more than 1,200 people killed in Israel's uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes, while the UN said more than 338,000 people have been displaced.

US President Joe Biden — who has strongly backed Israel and started sending military aid — has cautioned that Israel must operate by the rules of war despite "all the anger and frustration."

DoH set for returning Pinoys

In anticipation of Filipinos returning from Israel and Palestine-held areas, the Department of Health offered stress debriefing for the repatriates.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said he has given his department's "whole support" to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

"If there are Filipinos affected and they need mental health support or health care, just contact me. So, I committed that already to our fellow Filipinos affected by the war in Gaza," Herbosa said.

"Stress debriefing is a standard operating procedure after a major disaster or for people coming from crisis. Stress debriefing is done by professionals to identify if the patient needs medication or continued psychosocial therapy," he added.

The two Filipino fatalities were identified as caregiver Paul Vincent Castelvi and nurse Angelyn Aguirre, who could have fled but chose to stay with the elderly under her case. Both were declared heroes by those who knew of their heroic deeds that led to their demise.

Another caregiver, Camille Jesalva, escaped death after talking with members of Hamas who threatened her and the elderly citizen she was taking care of.

WITH TIZIANA CELINE PIATOS and AFP