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Gaza crisis: 2 Filipino doctors among first evacuees selected to cross into Egypt
Around 136 Filipinos are currently in the war-torn Gaza Strip and dozens of them have been waiting for their turn to escape through the Rafah border
People sit in the waiting area at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip before crossing into Egypt on November 1. — AFP
Two Filipino doctors with humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) are among the first batch of foreigners selected to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, a Philippine foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.
"The crossing should happen anytime now," undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told Reuters.
Qatar has mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, in coordination with the US, to allow for the movement of foreign passport holders and some critically injured people out of besieged Gaza.
On Wednesday, a convoy of ambulances carrying wounded Palestinians and a batch of evacuees were allowed to enter Egypt. Some 400 foreigners and dual nationals were expected to make the crossing on the first day.
Around 136 Filipinos are currently in the war-torn Gaza Strip. Besides the two doctors, dozens of nationals and their Palestinian-Filipino children had been waiting close to Rafah border, hoping to fly home to safety, the official said in local media reports.
De Vega assured that all 136 Filipinos are safe and accounted for.
The Philippine government has been in talks with Israel and Egypt, requesting the two countries to prioritise its citizens in the evacuation process.
In a previous interview, De Vega said at least six Filipinos — including a nun and those with Palestinian families — had returned to north Gaza even as the Israel-Hamas war raged on.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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