The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) supports the call of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to immediately cease hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

"We join the call of the UN Secretary General, hopefully, for a cessation of hostilities or for non-targeting as much as possible of civilians," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said in a press conference.

De Vega hopes humanitarian aid will "keep coming in" and those seeking repatriation to "be allowed out". Around 135 Filipinos seeking to leave Israel are at the Rafah border crossing to Egypt.

De Vega said ''the words we indicate are not to be interpreted to mean that we have turned back on the words of the President regarding our support for the Israelis and the Israeli right of self-defense."

"After all, we do know that you, yourselves, don't want civilian casualties, so we joined the call of the international community," he added. DMS