President Marcos has called on Filipinos in Gaza to leave the area amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Marcos said this after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the Crisis Alert Level for Gaza to Level 4 on Sunday, Oct. 15.

In a post on his X account, the President asked Filipinos to heed the government's advice to leave Gaza.

"In light of the challenging circumstances our fellow Filipinos are facing in the Gaza Strip, our government has raised the Crisis Alert Level for Gaza to Level 4," he wrote on Sunday evening.

"Under this heightened alert, we strongly urge repatriation from Gaza for the safety of our citizens," he added.

Marcos reassured the public that the government was doing its best to keep Filipinos in the war-torn country safe.

"We are committed to making every possible effort to bring our kababayans out of harm's way and reunite them with their families back home," he said.

"We will continue to provide updates on the situation," he added.

While most Filipinos have left Gaza City, the DFA said there were still 131 Filipinos in southern Gaza as Egypt continues to “disallow foreign nationals from entering the border.”

In an interview on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega explained that Alert Level 4 meant that the repatriation of Filipinos from the war-torn city was now mandatory.

“Ibig sabihin, nananawagan na tayo sa lahat ng mga kababayan natin sa Gaza: Mandatory na na umuwi kayo (It means we’re calling on our fellowmen in Gaza: It’s now mandatory that you return home),” he said.

“Hindi ibig sabihin na huhulihin namin kayo, pipilitin na umalis ng Gaza, pero ibig sabihin required na kayong umalis (It doesn’t mean we’ll arrest you or force you, but you are now required to leave),” he added.

De Vega hoped Filipinos in Gaza would heed the DFA's call as the government could not guarantee their safety if they decided to stay.

“Hinihintay din natin na magdesisyon na kayo na umalis na bago magkaroon ng hostilities na— bago sumalakay yung Israel sa Hamas (We’re waiting for you to decide to leave before there are hostilities— before Israel attacks the Hamas),” he said.

De Vega said there was "no way in or out" of Gaza but remained hopeful they could leave the city through Egypt.

Three Filipinos have been killed since the war started last week.