13-10-2023 (MANILA) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has officially confirmed another Filipino casualty in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The DFA reported that the latest casualty is a 49-year-old caregiver from Negros Occidental.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega expressed condolences during a press briefing, stating, “We join the nation in extending our deepest sympathies to the latest casualty.” The DFA also informed that there are still three other missing Filipinos, but they remain hopeful that they will be located.
De Vega emphasized that there is still hope for finding the missing individuals, as other missing Filipinos have been located over the past week. He stated, “It doesn’t mean that there is no hope because, as we said before, there were many missing a week ago. Over time, several of them have been located, and there’s a chance that these three individuals might also be found.”
In addition to addressing the missing Filipinos, the DFA is advocating for a humanitarian corridor between Gaza and Egypt due to the ongoing blockade on the Israel-Gaza border. Out of the 131 Filipinos currently in Gaza, 92 express a desire to return home. However, due to the blockade, no repatriations have taken place yet. The DFA is actively working to address this situation.
The initial Filipino casualties in the conflict were recorded on October 11th, and one of them was a Filipina nurse stationed at Kibbutz Kfar in Gaza.
