Arroyo orders evacuation of Filipinos from war-torn Gaza

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Sunday ordered the immediate evacuation of Filipinos who are ready to leave Gaza, the Hamas stronghold under attack by Israeli forces. Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the President has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure that Filipinos in the region are kept out of harm's way. Reports said there are 21 families living in Gaza, many of them married to Palestinians. Dureza said 66 Filipinos are already on their way to safety in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday. The evacuees will be repatriated to the Philippines. Esteban Conejos Jr., Foreign Affairs undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the Philippine government has already booked flights for the 66 Filipinos. Conejos said the government will move the Filipinos to Amman on Monday where they will take a flight back to Manila. "We decided to evacuate them a day after Israel and Jordan gave a permission for the Filipinos to enter their territories but only for transit. That's why we already bought airline tickets," Conejos said in a text message to reporters. Israel allowed Filipinos to leave Gaza and cross the Palestinian border into Jordan, but not their Palestinian husbands, Dureza said. The situation in Gaza, a narrow strip of land wedged between Israel and Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, took a dramatic turn for the worse when Israel mounted a ground invasion of the Hamas territory Saturday. - GMANews.TV