DFA reports 4th PH death; Gaza mass exit ‘any day now’
Department of Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo. Senate PRIB file photo
Another female caregiver from the Philippines is confirmed to have died in Israel, becoming the fourth Filipino victim in the latest escalation of violence in the Middle Eastern country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo announced the death of the woman, whose name was withheld, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“I regret to inform the nation that we have received confirmation from the Israeli government of another Filipino casualty in Israel,” he said, adding: “But we have assured the family of the government’s full support and assistance.”
Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told an online press briefing on Thursday that the caregiver was believed to have died during the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas militants on Israel which had since sparked retaliatory attacks.
Waylaid by Hamas
The DFA did not disclose any other details on the Filipino.
The war in Israel had claimed the lives of three other Filipino caregivers: Angelyn Peralta Aguirre, 33; Paul Vincent Castelvi, 42; and Loreta Villarin Alacre, 49.Aguirre died after Hamas militants broke into the bomb shelter she was staying in with her elderly patient, while Castelvi was among those abducted and killed during the initial assault.
Alacre, on the other hand, was on her way back to her employer’s house with companions, including her boyfriend, when they were waylaid by Hamas militants. Three of them died and one survived, her sister Nelia said.
On Wednesday, similar to arrangements with Aguirre and Castelvi, Alacre’s family received various forms of government assistance, including P500,000 turned over by representatives of Speaker Martin Romualdez and his wife Tingog Rep. Yedda Romualdez.
There are still two missing Filipinos in Israel who have yet to be accounted for.
A second batch of around 20 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Israel is set to arrive in Manila today. The first batch of 16 arrived on Wednesday.
The repatriates will receive a P200,000 cash aid, P20,000 in funeral assistance, psychosocial support and educational assistance for those with children, according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Honey Quiño.
Alert level 4
There are around 30,000 Filipinos working in Israel, but most have opted not to take the flight back to the Philippines as they live far from the area of hostilities, mainly in Israel’s southern regions.
As for the Filipinos trapped in Gaza Strip, the government still awaits the opening of the Israeli-controlled Palestinian border, which may happen “any day now,” De Vega said.
The timetable would depend on Israel, which controls all the borders to and from Gaza, including the one facing Egypt, he added. “When it’s open, it will not be a permanent opening. It will be for a window, maybe 12 hours, 24 hours,” he said. Gaza has been placed under alert level 4 with mandatory repatriation imposed on all 135 Filipinos currently there.
Intention to stay
Most of them are in southern Gaza near the Rafah crossing, waiting to cross to Egypt while the Philippine Embassy in Cairo is on standby on the other side, ready to receive them.
But it’s unlikely that all Filipinos will be able to leave Gaza since 41 of them have Palestinian spouses and some have expressed their intention to stay, De Vega said.
READ: DFA confirms third Filipino fatality in Israel-Hamas conflict
In an interview with the Inquirer on Wednesday, Egyptian Ambassador to Manila Ahmed Shehabeldin said he has coordinated with Cairo to “prioritize Filipinos” in letting foreign nationals cross the border.
“We are really willing to help all the people stranded there in Gaza Strip for foreigners to go out,” he said. “But Israel is bombing the crossing from the Palestinian part inside Gaza and so how can you evacuate people?”
