Pinoys in Gaza fear losing lives in risky evacuation

MANILA, Philippines - It was a 15-minute ride to safety, but Laila Chavez Salama didn't risk it. She was scared. Although Laila and her six children were used to bombs or rockets exploding on streets and nearby shops in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip, the Filipina mother said it was the first time in 14 years that the attacks almost reached their doorstep. Their home in Jabalya is just a 15-minute drive from the Erez border crossing, the first stop in the Philippine government’s evacuation plan. “We are getting more scared now because the bombings are getting nearer and nearer," Laila told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Tuesday evening (Manila time). As Israel continued an aggressive move to reclaim the Gaza Strip from Hamas-backed Palestine, Laila and 108 other Filipinos, including one domestic helper and a nun, feared that they might get killed on their way to safety. Laila and her six children were among the 13 Filipinos scheduled to board the bus out of the Gaza Strip last Monday but backed out later when the attacks intensified. At least two Filipino families living near the coast evacuated to safer grounds, Laila reported, in fear that Israel would launch an invasion by sea. With the situation in the area getting more dangerous on Monday night, the Israeli government cancelled any attempt to move foreign nationals out of Gaza until the tension eases. At least six Filipinos, those who braved the evacuation plan, had to return to their homes on board buses escorted by the Red Cross. Laila said all 20 Filipina wives in Gaza know each other like family. She said they all want to get out but they always face a hurdle before leaving. Despite failing to bring any of the six Filipino nationals out of the Gaza Strip, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs maintained that their teams are ready and able to continue with the well-organized evacuation and repatriation plan should the next window of opportunity opens. “It must have been a coincidence, but I’m glad we didn’t go," Laila said, “What if the buses get hit?" But inside their 6th floor apartment room, the situation was not any better. Although her children, one of whom was nearly killed in the Army, are used to the fighting, Laila said it is getting more difficult to assure their safety. “The children try hard to make it all normal. They play card games throughout the day so we won’t get bored. But when darkness sets in, we huddle in the living room, open the windows and brace for the worst," she said. On December 27, the six-month truce between Palestine and Israel was lifted in Gaza, a narrow strip of land twice the size of Quezon City that is wedged between Israel and Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea. Since then, Israel has relentlessly pursued Hamas militants in Gaza leaving at least 500 people, mostly civilians, dead. Laila thought there was an earthquake when the first bomb exploded a few kilometers from their home. There were no sirens warning civilians of Apache planes unloading rockets on establishments, Laila said. The Filipina nurse settled in Gaza after her Palestinian husband, a doctor, found it more difficult to raise a brood of six in Saudi Arabia where they used to work. Now stricken with cancer, Laila’s husband cannot move out of Gaza that easily. But even if he were more mobile, the Israeli government prohibited civilians holding a Palestinian identity card from leaving the area. Only Laila and her children held both Philippine passports and Palestinian IDs. Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, who had been involved in the massive evacuation of some 30,000 Filipino workers from Lebanon during the 2006 conflict there with Israel, said the situation now is very different. "These (women) are not just contract workers," Conejos said, "These are people who have attached roots there." On Sunday, Conejos reported that 70 Filipinos, mostly women and children, would arrive in Manila the following day. The number was trimmed down to 66 on Monday morning, then to 13, until only six confirmed to leave the conflict-ridden area in the afternoon. "The situation is very, very fluid. It is possible that the number of Filipino evacuees increase; it is also possible that it will be canceled," he said. Because the Israeli government refused Palestinians escaping from Gaza, Laila is in a bind. Should another opportunity comes for her and her family to move out of Gaza, Laila said she would most likely stay. “We are fearing for our lives but I can’t leave my husband. It’s better for us to remain together as a family," Laila said. "Sometimes we just say, ‘Hada min Allah’ (This is God’s will)." - GMANews.TV