FSmoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. As Israeli warplanes pummel Gaza to avenge the Hamas attack, Palestinians say the military has largely unleashed its fury on civilians. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday reported that around 500 Filipinos have marked themselves safe in war-affected parts of Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“Around 500 in the affected areas had signified themselves or marked themselves as safe in the area,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in a press briefing.
He added that DMW has already attended to 120 Filipinos in Israel who previously requested assistance.
“Around 120 requests for assistance, and most of them have either been assisted or accounted for. We are down to three OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) whose status needs updating,” Cacdac reported.
“We would still need to obtain the status of these three OFWs; for the most part, we have accounted for everyone who requested assistance,” he added.
Earlier, the DMW said it set up a hotline in coordination with OWWA to assist affected Filipinos in Israel and their families in the Philippines.
Filipinos in Israel and their families in the Philippines may call +63 2 1348 or WhatsApp and Viber numbers +63 9083268344, +63 9271478186, and +639205171059 to ask for help from Philippine authorities.