President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday condemned the death of two overseas Filipino workers amid the escalating conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas that started Saturday.
“My heart is heavy upon hearing confirmation of the deaths of two Filipinos in Israel. The Philippines condemns these killings and stands firmly against the ongoing terror and violence,” Marcos said in a statement, following the confirmation by Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
The Philippine government, he said, will stand firm in achieving enduring peace following United Nations resolutions and global legal principles.
He said the government will not cease sending support to affected overseas Filipino workers affected by the ongoing conflict.
There are close to 30,000 overseas Filipino workers in Israel, including 137 in Gaza — the epicenter of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration is closely monitoring their condition.
The DFA earlier said there were at least seven Filipinos who were taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel, in a press briefing Wednesday, said the two Filipino fatalities were killed in a kibbutz on the first day of the attack. Their families requested to withhold their identities and details of their deaths.
They were a 33-year-old woman from Pangasinan who had been working in Israel for six years and a 42-year-old man from Pampanga.
Embassy verifying 3rd fatality
The embassy is, however, verifying the death of a third Filipino through DNA testing.
Vice Consul Patricia Narajos said the embassy received a report about another Filipino who might have died in the conflict.
Narajos said that a Filipino who was shot in the arm is “recovering well” in a hospital. Another Filipino was treated after breathing in smoke and later sent home.
Manalo, in a statement, said: “The Philippines condemns the killing of two Filipino nationals and all other acts of terrorism and violence as a result of Hamas’ actions against Israel.”
The Philippine government, he said, would “continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipino nationals in Israel and Palestine.”
The DFA previously said there were no requests for immediate repatriation from Filipinos living in Israel but noted that it had received repatriation requests from 25 Filipinos in Gaza.
Manalo said the Philippines is “ready to work with other countries towards a long-lasting resolution to the conflict, in accordance with pertinent UN Security Council resolutions and the general principles of international law.”
President’s order
Marcos earlier ordered the Department of Migrant Workers and the OWWA to locate and verify the status of all overseas Filipino workers and their families in Israel.
He directed all agencies responsible for safeguarding the well-being of OFWs and the Filipino community to closely collaborate with the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Migrant Workers Office in Israel to ensure their safety.
Envoy’s condemnation
Meanwhile, the Israeli government denounced the terrorist activities carried out by Hamas, including the killing of foreigners, among them two overseas Filipino workers.
“We strongly condemn the acts of terrorism by Hamas towards innocent Israeli citizens and other nationalities in Israel,” Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said in a statement.
He said Israel was one with the families of the OFWs who were reportedly killed by Hamas.
“The Embassy of the State of Israel in Manila expresses its deepest sympathies to the families of the two overseas Filipino workers who were confirmed dead due to the Hamas terror attacks in Israel,” he said.
“Israel will continue to defend itself against Hamas,” Fluss added.
Death toll rises
More than 1,230 Israelis have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson said Wednesday, up from 1,000 previously reported.
“The death toll is a staggering 1,200 dead Israelis,” IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a video message, adding that “the overwhelming majority of them” were civilians.
More are being killed and hundreds wounded as Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with hundreds of air strikes overnight, a Hamas government official said Wednesday.