'Terrorism a global threat': Israeli diplomat calls for PH support amid Gaza ceasefire
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and other nations can best support peace in the Middle East by taking an active role in combating global terrorism, Israel's deputy chief of mission in Manila said Thursday, January 23, days after its fragile ceasefire with Hamas took effect.
Esty Buzgan, Israel's deputy chief of mission in Manila, said terrorism was a "global phenomenon" that required international cooperation, noting how the Philippines has dealt with its own terrorist threats.
"We expect the Philippines to fight that phenomenon that shouldn't be present anywhere in the world, and to make sure that any citizen ever, nowhere in the world, will be just kidnapped just because somebody decided to do so. Just because a terrorist organization decided to create terror," the Israeli diplomat said in a press briefing with the media on Thursday.
"We expect the Philippines to support the release of the hostages, and to fight terrorism," she added.
The first phase of the long-awaited Gaza ceasefire deal took effect Sunday. Around 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed from Israeli jails while three Israeli women left Hamas captivity.
The ceasefire, which will pause fighting for at least six weeks, comes after more than a year of war in Gaza. The conflict began after Hamas' October 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took over 240 hostages, triggering an Israeli military campaign that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians.
Under the current deal, which began January 19 and will last 42 days, Hamas is expected to release 33 out of 97 remaining hostages in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The agreement also includes provisions for increased humanitarian aid, with 600 trucks to enter Gaza daily.
Negotiations for the second phase of the deal must begin within 15 days, requiring Israel to completely withdraw its military from Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing all remaining living hostages and freeing more Palestinian prisoners.
'Dancing with the devil'
Buzgan described the negotiations with Hamas as being akin to "dancing with the devil," revealing the challenges in implementing basic aspects of the exchange process.
The diplomat said Hamas only provided the names of hostages to be released one day before each exchange, adding another layer of uncertainty to the process. "We don't know who's alive and who's dead, unfortunately," she added.
The next exchange is scheduled for Saturday, where four hostages are expected to be released. Women and children will be prioritized in the releases, according to the diplomat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously expressed opposition to ceasefire proposals, believing that a pause in the fighting would allow Hamas to possibly attack again in the future.
After mediated negotiations facilitated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, the Israeli cabinet ratified the ceasefire deal on January 17.
The Philippines was one of several nations in the world that expressed support for the ceasefire. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it welcomes the release of hostages in Gaza and "calls upon all parties to adhere to their obligations under international law," especially women and children and those in need of aid.
Humanitarian concerns
A number of groups in the Philippines, including the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association, have repeatedly condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has led to massive Palestinian civilian casualties over the past 15 months.
Asked about these humanitarian concerns, Buzgan said civilian deaths were an unavoidable reality of fighting in dense urban areas like Gaza Strip.
"Among all the militaries in the world who are dealing with warfare, when you fight in an urban area so dense like Gaza Strip, unfortunately, even if you want it and even if you don't, especially if you don't, you will still hit people who are around because it's so dense," she said.
The diplomat said Israel's military has achieved a lower civilian casualty rate compared to other conflicts. "The average in the world in situations like that is for every terrorist that a country kills, you have 10 casual collateral damage... Israel was able to minimize that number to 2 civilians per 1 terrorist," she said.
Buzgan insisted that Israel takes precautions to avoid civilian casualties, including warning residents before strikes. "Before Israel bombs a building in which there is a terrorist... we send leaflets from the sky for people to evacuate from that building because we don't want anyone who is not involved to be harmed in any kind of way."
The Philippines established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1957 and was one of the first Asian countries to recognize Israel's statehood. In 2011, the Philippines also officially recognized Palestine as an independent state, joining other countries that support a two-state solution in the region.
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