MANILA, October 11 ------ Two Filipinos were killed in Israel, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday, five days after militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern portions of the country. “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,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a statement posted on X.
It is not immediately clear if the 2 fatalities were among the 6 Israel-based Filipinos the DFA has been trying to look for in the past days. Manalo did not give further details about the two Filipino fatalities, but said that the DFA would continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipinos nationals in Israel and Palestine. “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.
There are some 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, and 137 others in the Gaza strip. Severa Filipinos in Gaza have requested for repatriation, but Philippine authorities said that mounting the flight remains a challenge due to Israels blockage against the entire Gaza strip.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com