Officials from the Philippines confirmed on Wednesday (October 11) that two Filipinos had been killed as the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters dragged on to its fifth day.
Both the Malacañang and the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv said the two Filipinos killed were identified as a 33-year-old female from Pangasinan province and a 42-year-old man from Pampanga, both north of Manila.
They have not named the two for privacy purposes at the request of their families.
1/3 The Philippines condemns the killing of two (2) Filipino nationals and all other acts of terrorism and violence as a result of Hamas actions against Israel.
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) October 10, 2023
2/3 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.
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) October 10, 2023
3/3 The Philippine government will continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipinos nationals in Israel and Palestine.@DFAPHL
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) October 10, 2023
Reactions from Manila, Foreign Missions
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo took to X, formerly Twitter, his condemnation of the deaths and other atrocities that happened and were discovered in the past few days.
"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," he said. "The Philippine government will continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipino nationals in Israel and Palestine."
Around 30,000 Filipinos reside in Israel, most of them living outside the conflict area in the southern region near Gaza. An additional 150 Filipinos are trapped in Gaza, the Philippine Star reported.
Manalo also assured that the Philippine government would continue to provide assistance to distressed Filipinos in both Israel and Palestine.
In a separate statement, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also condemned the killings, saying his country "stands firmly against the ongoing terror and violence."
"My heart is heavy upon hearing confirmation of the deaths of two Filipinos in Israel," he added.
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss told Filipino broadcaster ABS-CBN he was both gutted by the two Filipino deaths in his country and his gratitude for the Filipino workers staying behind to assist Israelis.
"I [would like] to express our gratitude to those Filipinos, and generally speaking, to overseas Filipino workers in Israel who are staying there with other families, elderly people," he added. "Even in the time of this emergency, the Filipinos are not requesting to be evacuated from Israel."
He also slammed Hamas for its actions and for using civilians as "human shields."
Additionally, Philippine Ambassador to Jordan, Wilfredo Santos, told CNN's Philippine bureau that 70 Filipinos in Gaza have requested repatriation.
Filipino Officials: 3 Still Unaccounted For
On the other hand, a Philippine embassy official in Tel Aviv Patricia Narajos told reporters that there might be a third Filipino who might have been killed in Hamas's attack.
"This is subject to confirmation by DNA evidence," she cautioned.
This puts the number of Filipinos still missing down to three, as 26 have been rescued by Israeli security forces.
Narajos added that the Filipino individual who was shot was "recovering well" in the hospital, while another Filipino was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but was later discharged.
The Philippines and Israel have been close allies ever since the Philippines voted for the UN resolution to partition Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948. Prior to this, Commonwealth-era president Manuel Quezon made an attempt to save the Jews from the Holocaust, which was cut short by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in late 1941.
As of Wednesday, there is a total of over 2,000 deaths on both sides, both military and civilian.
