5 Filipinos cross safely to Jordan from West Bank
FIVE Filipinos have crossed from the West Bank to Jordan Wednesday amid the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, the Philippine Embassy in Amman said yesterday.
A team from the embassy, together with Labor Attaché Armi Evangel Pena, facilitated the border crossing of the five from the West Bank to the Jordanian side at the King Hussein Bridge.
“The Philippine Embassy provided transportation to the five Filipinos, who were fetched at their respective residences in the West Bank and brought to the Allenby border crossing on the Israeli side, where they were met and assisted by Amman Philippine Embassy officers and personnel who facilitated their entry to Jordan through the King Hussein bridge crossing,” the embassy said.
The five are bound to return to the Philippine late Thursday.
Two Filipinos composing the first batch of repatriates from the West Bank arrived in Manila on Nov.9.
Twenty-three more Filipinos remain in the West Bank.
The West Bank was captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War.
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Israel-Hamas war began last month, with over 170 attacks on Palestinians involving Jewish settlers, according to the United Nations.
The Department of Migrant Workers expressed hope a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will ultimately lead to the resolution of the conflict.
DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said they are hoping that the end of hostilities will be more than four days as agreed by the warring parties.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 264 Filipinos have been repatriated from Israel in several batches.
Forty-two OFWs were scheduled to arrive late Thursday.
Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed on a four-day truce to allow the release of some of the 240 hostages they took during the attack. The first release of hostages had been expected to happen on Thursday but Israel said it was delayed for at least another day. – With Gerard Naval
