Deal to allow aid into Gaza sealed

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled a deal to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to enter war-torn Gaza, where 1 million people have fled their homes amid withering Israeli air strikes.

Some 80 Filipinos who are trapped in Gaza may be able to exit the war-torn Palestinian enclave through Egypt by late Friday to early Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega made the statement following a report quoting Biden as saying that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has agreed to open the border.

But Biden, on the way back to Washington from Israel, said only a limited number of trucks would be allowed to cross the shuttered Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza from Friday.

He said this was the result of face-to-face talks in Israel and intense telephone diplomacy with Egypt.

It would be the first international relief to enter Gaza since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched shock raids into Israel, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 200 hostages.

Since then, Israel has besieged the Palestinian enclave, launching wave after wave of air strikes, enforcing a blockade, and deploying tens of thousands of troops to the border in preparation for an expected ground assault.

Filipinos in Rafah

De Vega said at least 80 Filipinos are expected to exit the Rafah Border Crossing connecting Egypt and Gaza.

He added that there are 135 Filipinos waiting at the border, along with 41 Palestinian spouses.

He said there is no guarantee that Palestinians will be allowed to cross the border.

“Here’s the problem: They already said that last weekend, but it did not push through. So Israel was saying ‘Just be ready at a moment’s notice.’ So any time the border may be opened, we are ready,” De Vega said.

De Vega applauded the “bayanihan” (cooperation) spirit among the dozens of Filipinos trapped in Gaza as they remain deprived of food, water, and other basic supplies due to a blockade.

“The bayanihan spirit is alive among our nationals there,” Deva Vega said, quoting the Philippine Embassy in Egypt.

De Vega said some Filipinos there are seeking repatriation while