Manila: The ongoing conflict in Israel has brought sorrow to the Philippines as it claimed the lives of two of its citizens. The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the deaths of a 42-year-old man from Pampanga and a 33-year-old woman from Pangasinan.
These heartbreaking losses occurred in a kibbutz, an Israeli community, during coordinated attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas near the Gaza Strip.
The circumstances surrounding the man's death remain unclear, but he was among those captured by Hamas militants. In a tragic turn of events, the woman and her employer were gunned down as the militants forcibly entered their residence.
The woman had been working as a caregiver in Israel for six years and had recently married her husband, who resides in the Philippines.
Bodies discovered
Anthony Mandap, deputy chief of mission and consul general, has revealed that the details of these two fatalities are still under investigation. The bodies were discovered in the Gaza Envelope, an area in Israel located within seven kilometers of the Gaza border.
The Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., expressed his condolences for the two Filipinos and strongly condemned the escalating hostilities between the Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, according to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
He pledged government support for the 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and the 137 living in the Gaza Strip, the region most severely impacted by the war.
Seeking repatriation
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), meanwhile, reported that 70 Filipinos in Gaza are seeking repatriation.
However, due to a blockade imposed by Israeli forces in Gaza, repatriation efforts face significant challenges. The situation prompted the Philippine Embassy in Jordan to recommend elevating the alert level in Gaza to level 3, allowing for voluntary repatriation.
While the official alert level is yet to be determined, more Filipinos in Gaza are seeking to return home, as the conflict continues to intensify, with an increasing number of families and minors among those requesting repatriation.
