Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) – Israel has called up over 300,000 army reservists to fight back against Palestine militant group Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday.
On Saturday, Hamas carried out its unprecedented attack by air, sea, and land prompting Israel to declare war on the militant group.
“We now have over 300,000 volunteer reservists that have joined the military in order to fight back,” IDF LtCol Amnon Sheffler said in an international media briefing on Friday.
There was no mention of a plan to open a humanitarian corridor in Gaza to allow foreign nationals, including Filipinos, to return to their home country.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel earlier confirmed the death of two Filipinos in Israel as the war rages on.
READ: 2 Filipinos killed in Israel-Hamas war — PH embassy
The Department of Foreign Affairs said at least 70 Filipinos in the Palestinian enclave are now seeking help to be flown back home.
Sheffler reported that Israel has deployed a thousand battalions and have regained control of the southern border of Israel, killing over 1,000 Hamas terrorists inside Israel and hundreds on the border.
He added that a total of 5,500 rockets have been fired at civilians in Israel from the Gaza strip.
But Sheffler said the situation on the northern border of Israel remains “sensitive” that they have to deploy a lot of military forces.
“We’re keeping the high alert of readiness both for Syria and Lebanon and terrorists that are using those grounds to fire on Israel,” he said.
