'6 to 7 Hours of Explosions' — Filipina in Doha Describes the Terrifying Night Iran Rained Missiles on Qatar
For Germaine Rentoria, a Filipina worker in Doha, Qatar, Saturday night was the most terrifying of her life. For six to seven straight hours, the sky above the Qatari capital flashed with explosions as air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles. 'The explosions and smoke we see are from debris,' she told The Philippine Star.
Rentoria and her family stayed sheltered inside their home as emergency alerts blared across the city. Classes have been suspended and shifted online. Qatar's Ministry of Health announced readiness for medical emergencies, while the Ministry of Interior released hotline numbers. Groceries remained open 24/7 for emergency supply runs.
Like many OFWs in the region, Rentoria has prepared evacuation bags containing food, essential items, passports, and IDs — ready in case the government calls for repatriation. 'We just keep updated with news reports and developments. We are ready if there will be a requirement to repatriate OFWs,' she said.
Adding to her anxiety, her mother is stranded at an airport in the Netherlands after airspace closures disrupted flights back to Doha. The disruption of air travel across the Middle East has left families separated and uncertain about when normal operations will resume.
Philippine embassies across nine countries — Israel, Iran, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan — are now on heightened alert. The DFA confirmed there are at least 30,000 Filipino workers in Israel alone, mostly caregivers, and around 800 in Iran. So far, no Filipino casualties have been reported.
Source: Philstar
