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MANILA, Philippines—Laila Chavez Salama, reluctantly left her husband and daughter as she took her five other children and went with the Philippine convoy out of besieged Gaza Strip.
“It was a very hard decision to make. I left my sick husband with my other daughter,” said Salama, as tears streamed from her eyes. “Either I save five lives or I save my husband and other daughter.”
Salama was among the 15 migrant Filipinos who arrived from Bangkok Friday night as part of government efforts to evacuate its citizens from the war-torn Gaza Strip. At least 800 Palestinians have been killed in over two weeks of attacks by Israeli forces.
Like her mother, Rashad worried about his father and sister as Israel continued to mount an offensive against the militant Hamas.
“Our happiness is not complete,” said Rashad, 21. “It’s good that we’re here… more safe [here] but my father and my sister are still there.
He recounted that the night before they left Gaza, he heard about four airstrikes, which he said had become normal for them.
“There was no electricity for most of the day. At one point, electricity ran for about an hour a day,” he said. “But we managed to survive everything.”
The usually populated streets of Gaza, said Rashad, were empty by six in the evening.
“In the morning, people walked along walls,” he added, explaining that they used the walls as cover for any fire that may come from fighter planes that flyby.
The feeling of relief seemed evident from the children as they smiled at the cameras, giggling at each other as they talked in Arabic. Relatives of the different families said the children could not speak Filipino but understand English.
“Yes” was the answer of one of the victims when asked if he was happy to be in Manila. He ran toward his brothers and refused to give his name.
During the weeks-long offensive, Anabel Mangulabnan Abu Hassira saw a three-story police station near her house flattened by Israeli airstrikes. She said she and her family never saw dead bodies around their neighborhood because they stayed in their house all day.
“I never saw exploding bombs near our house,” she told reporters. “But I heard explosions far away.”
Like Salama, Abu Hassira left her husband in Gaza “because we prioritized the safety of our children.”
“My husband said he might have a hard time finding work here that’s why he decided to stay behind,” she said, carrying her youngest daughter Dana who smiled. “I’m happy that my children and I are here safe.”
Abu Hassira’s sister Elizabeth Mangulabnan felt relief as she saw her sister walked down the reception area. “At least they’re here safely,” she said, although she continued to worry about his brother in law.
In all, three families were repatriated from Gaza. Thirteen of the 16 Filipinos were children, their ages ranged from two to 21.
Ambassador Roy Cimatu accompanied the displaced Filipinos to the arrival lobby of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 1.
Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said repatriation efforts of the government would continue “given another opening.”
He said that of the 108 Filipinos in Gaza, 69 want to go back to the Philippines.
“The others decided to stay with their husbands there,” he said. “We could not evacuate the others because of the intense fighting.”
Conejos said the government has already secured tickets for the Filipinos who were left behind and they would be evacuated “at the next available opportunity.”
