Missile strikes on Israel claim 2nd Filipino victim
A Filipino woman was killed in a missile strike on Sunday night that hit a neighborhood in the Israeli city of Haifa, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, as the Middle East conflict raged on for the sixth week.
The fatality, whose identity had yet to be disclosed as of this writing, was the second Filipino to die in a missile attack after caregiver Mary Ann De Vera, 32, was killed in Tel Aviv on Feb. 28, when Iran launched its first counterstrike in response to a joint US-Israel attack.
The DFA said the woman’s Israeli husband and his elderly parents were also killed by the missile strike in the northern city of Haifa.
“The embassy in Tel Aviv has informed [her] family and is coordinating all necessary assistance, including arrangements for the repatriation of her remains despite current travel disruptions,” the department said in a statement. “The family has requested privacy during this difficult time.”
‘Full assistance’
The earlier fatality, De Vera, was identified by her husband, who also worked in Israel.
The caregiver, who hails from Pangasinan province, had been assisting her elderly patient as they fled to a shelter during the missile strike in Tel Aviv. The patient was unharmed.
President Marcos on Tuesday issued a statement expressing his condolences to the relatives of the second fatality.
“I have directed our agencies to extend full assistance to the family and to ensure the immediate repatriation of her remains. Our embassy is on standby to provide all the necessary support,” Mr. Marcos also said.
He added that the government continues to monitor the situation in the Middle East and the safety of Filipinos there remains its top priority.
Filipinos in Middle East
According to the DFA, there are about 2.4 million Filipinos in that region. Majority of the 800 to 1,000 Filipinos in Iran are spouses or children of its citizens, the department said.
The Department of Migrant Workers said about 80 percent of the estimated 31,000 Filipinos in Israel are caregivers.
DFA data as of Tuesday showed there are 1,576 repatriation requests from nonworking Filipinos in the Middle East, with the highest numbers recorded in Dubai (717), Doha (246) and Abu Dhabi (193)—cities that have become targets of Iranian drone and missile strikes.
In Israel, 65 Filipinos seeking repatriation are now being assisted in Tel Aviv. There are no pending requests recorded in Iran, although 32 Filipinos had already been repatriated from the Iranian capital, Tehran. —WITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA
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