40 Filipinos from Gaza Strip may arrive on Friday

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega (INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — The 40 Filipinos who have successfully left the besieged Gaza Strip may arrive in the Philippines as early as Friday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed this in a televised interview on Wednesday.

According to De Vega, once the Filipinos arrive in Cairo, they will be given accommodations and aid.

“They will be flown within the next few days and they might be here in Manila as early as Friday, [November 10],” De Vega over CNN Philippines’ “The Source.”

READ: Bongbong Marcos elated: 40 Filipinos from Gaza safely reach Egypt 

READ: Repatriating Filipinos in Gaza would be harder than those in Israel – DFA 

According to de Vega, 46 Filipinos were initially given approval to cross the border, but for some reason, the six decided to stay.

“Maybe [they will] join other batches,” he said.

Among the 40 Filipinos who have successfully exited the Gaza Strip were two pregnant women and three infants.

One Palestinian citizen likewise managed to exit and join her Filipino husband through the efforts of the Red Crescent.

De Vega said he was hoping that more individuals would be able to cross the Rafah border into Egypt within the week.

“What we are calling for is for our [countrymen] it’s already a mandatory evacuation. Our embassy in Amman is calling all of you. Go to the border and wait because anytime now, you will be allowed to cross. If you stay in Gaza out of your own free will, there’s no guarantee of your safety and that you’ll be given priority in future crossings,” De Vega said.