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'Bombed left and right': Some Southeast Asian nationals seek to escape Israel-Hamas war but journey home challenging

A security expert at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute told CNA that countries without ties with Israel may find it difficult to coordinate efforts to bring home their nationals.

'Bombed left and right': Some Southeast Asian nationals seek to escape Israel-Hamas war but journey home challenging

Mr Abdillah Onim (left), seen here with his children, plan to evacuate to Egypt with his family amid the escalating conflict in Gaza. (Photo: Abdillah Onim)

  • There are around 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, with about 5,000 in the conflict area
  • The Philippines also has a sizable number of citizens working in Israel. One Filipino is reportedly being held hostage
  • Indonesia says it has prepared a contingency plan for evacuating its citizens

SINGAPORE: Amid the Israeli air strikes over Gaza, Indonesian aid worker Abdillah Onim now lives among bombed houses with his life constantly under threat. 

“The houses of Gazans were bombed and razed to the ground. What you see in the media is really happening,” the 44-year-old told CNA. As he spoke, the sounds of explosions and fighter jets rattled in the background. 

Mr Onim - who is married to a Gazan and has three young children - has lived in Gaza since 2009. Following the recent conflict, he has been forced to consider returning to Indonesia, though the journey to his home country looks set to be an arduous one. 

Mr Onim - in a webinar organised by the Islamic University of Indonesia on Tuesday (Oct 10) - said that he would try to evacuate to Egypt “in the near future” with his children and wife.

He admitted, however, that his plan is “just wishful thinking”. 

“Even though it's been well coordinated, if you can't leave your house, you can't go … If there is no transportation to the border, it cannot be done. Ambulances are targeted, regular vehicles are missiled. 

“I'm just waiting to see how the International Red Cross can pick me up in front of my house when I'm being bombed left and right,” said Mr Onim. 

“The trip to the border will be like an action movie, you can't imagine a car running in the middle of a bombing.” 

Mr Onim is one of many foreigners in Israel and the Palestinian Territories who are now seriously contemplating leaving the war-torn region for their home countries. However, the siege on Gaza which was imposed by Israel on Monday complicates the situation for those seeking to evacuate the area. 

Following the surprise attack by the militant group Hamas on Saturday, governments in Southeast Asia have issued advisories for citizens in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. 

Among them is Singapore, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday advised Singaporeans to leave Israel and the Palestinian Territories "as soon as possible via available commercial options". 

Thailand and the Philippines, which have a sizable number of its nationals working in Israel, said they are working to repatriate those who want to return home while Malaysian relief organisation Mercy Malaysia told CNA that it will not be entering Gaza due to the “challenging” situation there. 

Malaysia has not yet released any statistics on the number of Malaysians in Israel or the Palestinian Territories. 

One security expert whom CNA spoke to also noted the difficulties in coordinating repatriation efforts for foreign nationals, especially for countries with no formal relations with the Israeli government.  

THAILAND 

More than 3,000 Thai nationals in Israel have expressed their desire to return home, Thailand’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Jakkapong Sangmanee said on Tuesday. 

There are around 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, with about 5,000 of them in the conflict area. 

According to the Bangkok Post, Mr Jakkapong said that the first group of evacuees is expected to return on Thursday. 

He added that the repatriation process would initially depend on commercial and chartered flights as military aircraft were not allowed to land in Israel. This is because the fighting was approaching the airports, he said. 

Meanwhile, 18 Thais have been confirmed dead. Mr Jakkapong reportedly said that until Israeli forces reoccupy the death zone, the bodies of the deceased cannot be reached in order for them to be repatriated back to Thailand. 

According to AFP, Hamas has seized around 150 people as hostages, including 11 Thai nationals. The militant group has also threatened to execute civilian captives one by one should Israel continue its air strikes on Gaza. 

Hamas has threatened to execute civilian hostages if Israel continues to hit Gaza with air strikes. (Photo: AFP/Mahmud Hams)

The wife of 40-year-old Thai hostage Owat Suriyasri said that her heart “dropped” when she heard that he was among those taken. 

"I am waiting to hear some good news,” Ms Kanyarat Suriyasri reportedly said. She described her husband as a "very friendly, caring and happy man" who moved to Israel in 2021 for improved wages. 

She told AFP that if she could see her husband, she would tell him: "I've missed you, I won't let you anywhere far away again.” 

"I would hug him,” she added. 

Ms Wannida Ma-asa - the wife of another Thai national who had been taken hostage by Hamas - said that she is devastated but holds out hope for the safe return of her spouse. 

Her husband, Mr Anucha Angkaew, is an avocado farm worker who moved to Israel in March 2022 from his home region of Udon Thani, an agricultural area in northeast Thailand.

"I'm devastated. I spoke with him the day when he was kidnapped. I had a video call with him before it happened and we chatted normally," she told AFP.

"I really hope he survives ... I have 100 per cent hope. I am patiently watching the news, waiting to hear some good news.” 

INDONESIA 

There are currently 45 Indonesians in the Palestinian Territories. 

According to the Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha, there are 10 Indonesians in Gaza and 35 in the West Bank. 

There are also 230 Indonesians in Israel who are taking part in religious tourism, he said.

On Tuesday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said that the Indonesian government has prepared a contingency plan for the evacuation of Indonesian citizens “with several scenarios” planned, according to local media. 

He did not elaborate on what the evacuation plans would look like but noted that the government - through the Indonesian embassies in Amman, Beirut and Cairo - is coordinating with various parties to evacuate Indonesian citizens who are still in the Palestinian Territories, especially those in Gaza. 

Mr Onim, the Indonesia aid worker, told CNA that even a trip to get supplies is now fraught with danger. 

“The streets are empty. I haven't been able to go out for three days to buy groceries for my wife and children because the situation is unpredictable. For example, 10 metres away, 500 metres away, there is a bombing,” he said. 

Mr Abdillah Onim's three children. (Photo: Abdillah Onim)

PHILIPPINES 

In a statement on Monday, the Philippine Presidential Communications Office said that Filipinos living in Israel have not requested for immediate repatriation. 

“However, the Embassy has a repatriation plan in place and is ready to implement the same, if needed. The Embassy has adequate resources for this undertaking,” it said. 

It added that if a repatriation of Filipinos in Gaza is to be undertaken, the office is ready to assist the Philippine Embassy in Amman, Jordan which has primary jurisdiction over Gaza. 

“The Embassy will coordinate with Israeli authorities to ensure smooth transit in Israel of Filipinos from Gaza to Jordan,” it added. 

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, at least 38 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip have signalled their intentions to be repatriated. 

There are over 30,000 Filipinos in Israel as of December 2021, said Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Ms Ma. Teresita Daza, citing records of Israel's Population and Immigration Authority. 

According to the Manila Times, Ms Daza also said that there are currently 137 Filipinos in Gaza. 

Listen:

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel on Oct 9, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Amir Cohen)

Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tangsingco reportedly said on Monday that the bureau is coordinating with the DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in scheduling possible repatriations.

Mr Tansingco said he had ordered the creation of special teams to speed up the documentation of repatriated Filipinos and their families. 

Meanwhile, one Filipino is allegedly being held hostage while seven out of 29 Filipinos who were initially reported missing remain unaccounted for. 

”A (woman) in the Philippines reached out to the Embassy and said that she recognised her husband in a video circulating on social media which shows a man being held by armed individuals, most likely brought to Gaza,” said the Philippine Presidential Communications Office. 

It added that the embassy in Israel is “also working with community contacts on his case”. 

DIFFICULT TO COORDINATE EVACUATION, SAYS EXPERT ON COUNTRIES WITHOUT TIES TO ISRAEL

Dr Jean-Loup Samaan, a Senior Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Middle East Institute, told CNA that countries without formal ties with Israel “may find it difficult to coordinate (evacuation) efforts with the government”. 

“But given the fact that the evacuation will surely be multinational in the end, I assume this will be facilitated by the United States or Europeans,” he said. 

He added that there is a “major difference” regarding the evacuation of civilians, depending on if they are in Israel, Gaza, or the West Bank. 

He noted that flights are still operating in Israel whereas there is no airport in Gaza and the West Bank. 

“In the case of the West Bank, evacuation would probably be planned via Jordan. In the case of Gaza which is currently under siege and with imminent ground operations from Israel, it's much harder to predict. People may be exiting via Egypt,” said Dr Samaan. 

“Beyond that, evacuations are usually coordinated by military ships from the Mediterranean. The US and the Europeans have in the past organised massive evacuation operations (for instance during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah). 

“In any case, it will likely involve a multilateral process,” he told CNA.

Read this story in Bahasa Indonesia here.

Source: CNA/ya(as)

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