2 Filipinos killed in Houthi attack
AT LEAST TWO Filipinos on Thursday were killed in a missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on ships plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. Three other Filipino seafarers on board were hurt.
“The DMW is in touch with the ship’s manning agency and shipowner to ascertain the conditions of the rest of the ship’s crew, particularly the remaining Filipino crew members, as we have been informed that they have been taken to a safe port,” the department said in a statement.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) later confirmed that 13 Filipino seafarers on the civilian bulk carrier, True Confidence, have been taken by the Indian Navy to Djibouti. The three who suffered “serious injuries” were hospitalized.
“The Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt is dispatching a team to Djibouti to provide them the necessary assistance, including replacing their travel documentation which was left on the ship,” the DFA said.
In November, Houthi rebels from Yemen seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea and took 17 Filipino seamen hostage.
Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree had said the ship’s seizure was in response to “heinous acts” against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Earlier, the DMW had marked the Gulf of Aden sea lanes and the Red Sea as high-risk areas.
The Houthis has taken control of most of northern Yemen and said they would not stop attacks in the Red Sea until Israel’s “aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
The United States State Department stated: “The United States will continue to hold the Houthis accountable for their attacks, which have not just disrupted international commerce, not just disrupted the freedom of navigation and international waters, and not just endangered seafarers, but now tragically killed a number of them.”
On Wednesday, the DFA said: “The Philippine Government remains steadfast in the belief that through diplomacy and adherence to international law, the inter-related conflicts affecting the region at present will eventually be resolved, leading to the resumption of free and unimpeded commerce for the world economy and freedom of navigation for the international community.”
Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas militants backed by waves of rockets stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis.
Gaza health’s ministry earlier said more than 30,000 Palestinians have died in the war. At least four Filipinos died.
In December, the Philippines joined 152 countries in favoring a United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, including the unconditional release of all hostages.
“The DMW also calls for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez