Some 40 Filipinos were able to escape to safer ground after crossing the Rafah border from Gaza to Egypt, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed on Wednesday.

Marcos made the announcement in a video message as Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said one of the first people to leave Gaza was a Palestinian married to a Filipino.

The government was unsure how many Filipinos still in Gaza wanted to leave, but De Vega said at least 30 Palestinians married to Filipinos had signed up to leave the Strip.

"(The 40 Filipinos) are now heading to Cairo, where they will depart to return permanently to our country in the coming days," Marcos said.

Marcos thanked the governments of Israel and Egypt for "giving priority" to Filipinos to exit through the Rafah Crossing. He also thanked Qatar for helping make the evacuation deal.

The President said he hoped that soon, the Filipinos and their loved ones still in Gaza would be able to return to their families in the Philippines.

A television report said the Filipinos in Gaza had to wait about three hours before they could leave. They then had to wait 10 hours for Egyptian officials to process their papers before they could enter Egypt.

There were two pregnant women among the 40 people who left Gaza, according to the report. The 40 people were from six families.

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier announced that Israeli authorities had provided a list of approximately 500 individuals who were allowed to leave Gaza.

The DFA said the Philippines is ready to receive Palestinians who are married to Filipinos.

De Vega said that since 1 October, the Philippine embassies in Egypt and Jordan, which oversee the state of Palestine, had been preparing the necessary documents for their entry into the Philippines.

Rockets all around the skies

Meanwhile, an overseas Filipino worker shared his terrifying experience during the attacks of Hamas militants in Israel.

Guillermo M. Umayam Jr., 34, a resident of Aurora, Isabela, and a hotel worker for one year and five months in Bat Yam, Israel, said he saw rockets everywhere; sometimes, he saw them falling near their place.

"Every day, we see rockets anywhere in our area, which is near the border. One time during work, we were inside the bus when we heard a loud siren. We get off the bus to find a place to hide," Guillermo said in an interview upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino Airport Tuesday via Etihad Airways flight EY425 at 2:49 p.m.

He added that his female co-workers were traumatized by the bombing as they screamed in fear every time they heard a siren.

"My female co-workers are already screaming, especially when they hear a loud siren and see a rocket. They even scream when we are on our way to the bomb shelter. My other co-workers try to calm them," he said. 

Guillermo stated that it is the third time he has witnessed skirmishes in Israel.

"It was the third time I experienced such a thing. It seemed quite normal to me, but of course, I was still thinking about my safety because I never know when the bomb will fall. So, I thought it was better to go home," he said.

He said he has decided not to go back to Israel even when the situation goes back to normal.

"I have decided not to go back to Israel anymore. I'll look for another place to work, maybe in other countries or just here in the Philippines," he added.

The Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Health welcomed the 42 OFWs and an infant at NAIA Terminal 3.

The Department of Migrant Workers provides immediate financial assistance worth P50,000 to each OFW returning from Israel and comprehensive reintegration assistance and job facilitation services for other employment opportunities.

Each OFW returnee also received P50,000 financial assistance from OWWA, P20,000 livelihood assistance from DSWD, and P5,000 from TESDA.

The DoH also provided medical assistance to all the OFW returnees.

WITH GILMORE LEAÑO