MANILA, Philippines — Amid the conflict with Hamas, the Israeli government on Tuesday vowed to assist overseas Filipinos who are affected, emphasizing that there will be “no discrimination” in safeguarding those living in Israel.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss assured the public that Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and the Israeli government have committed to protect all civilians against the Hamas attacks, regardless of their nationality.
“The answer is very clear: the Israeli government is committed to the well-being of all Filipinos and all other nationals living in Israel,” said Fluss, citing Cohen.
“We are committed to them the same way we are committed to the wellbeing of Israeli citizens. We do not discriminate, they get the same protection, they follow the same protocols, they live with us and are amongst us,” he added.
Fluss said that over 100 people were so far estimated to have been kidnapped by Hamas militants, but no exact information on the exact number and identities of the victims have been released yet.
“There are probably other nationalities also kidnapped; it’s very difficult to account to who exactly was kidnapped, and Israeli security forces are analyzing the footage we are able to get in order to identify those who have been kidnapped,” said Fluss.
Meanwhile, the number of Filipinos reported to be missing amid the conflict remains at seven.
Latest data from the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv also showed that 22 Filipinos have been rescued by the Israeli security forces, as of Monday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, earlier said that nine families or at least 38 Filipino nationals in the Gaza Strip have already signified their intentions to be repatriated amid the attacks in Israel.
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