MANILA – Filipinos in Israel are advised to be vigilant and stay away from Golan Heights and places near the Lebanon and Gaza borders.
The advisory was issued on Saturday as tensions flared between Palestinian militants and Israelis after the latter launched an airstrike on "Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip."
The strike reportedly killed a top commander of a Palestinian militant group and nine others, including a five-year-old kid, triggering a retaliatory rocket barrage.
"Maging maingat at mapagmatyag sa paligid. Iwasan at ipagpaliban din muna ang pagpunta sa maselang lugar katulad ng Golan Heights, mga lugar na malapit sa border ng Lebanon at ang border ng Gaza (Remain alert and refrain from going to sensitive areas like Golan Heights, areas near the Lebanon border, and the Gaza border)," the Philippine Embassy in Israel said.
The Embassy, citing the Home Front Command, said educational activities are prohibited in the Gaza Envelope and South Israel.
It likewise urged Filipinos to take necessary precautions when riding public vehicles and refrain from going to crowded places as much as possible.
The United Nations said the continuing escalation in the region is "very dangerous" and urged concerned parties to immediately halt the rocket launch.
"The launching of rockets must cease immediately and I call on all sides to avoid further escalation," Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said Saturday.
"The progress made in gradually opening Gaza since the end of May escalation risks being undone, leading to even greater humanitarian needs at a time when global resources are stretched and international financial support for a renewed humanitarian effort in Gaza will not be easily available," he said. (PNA)
