By Kylle A. Patayon
Art by Janella Blanco
The Department of Foreign Affairs reports another Filipino victim in the recent Hamas surprise attack on Israel last October 7th, 2023.
The DFA Undersecretary, Eduardo de Vega, confirmed that the casualty was a 49-year-old female caregiver from Negros Occidental.
The victim's name was not disclosed; however, the official did mention that she was one of the music festival's attendees, which was the ground for the first-ever Hamas attack. Her death confirms the third case of deceased Filipinos.
The DFA earlier announced the death of two OFWs because of the war: 42-year-old Paul Vincent Castelvi was found dead after the terrorist group abducted him, 33-year-old Pangasinense nurse Angelyn Aguirre and her 70-year-old patient were brutally killed due to the coordinated Hamas assault despite taking refuge in a bomb shelter.
At the same time, de Vega stated that the number of missing Filipinos has risen to four, although the fourth reported individual is still under confirmation.
Furthermore, over 92 Filipinos from the city of Gaza, Palestine, seek repatriation as the current state deteriorates.
"92 out of 121… that's 70%, and not one has been repatriated yet because Gaza is under a blockade, but we are working on it," says de Vega in the recently held Malacañang briefing.
On the other hand, the first batch of Filipinos who requested repatriation from Israel is expected to arrive in the Philippines on October 16th.
The set includes the return of eight out of twenty-two OFWs, of which the expense is handled by the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
The undersecretary has said that some of these workers sought repatriation not because the ongoing war directly victimized them but because it indirectly led them to lose their respective jobs or other economic reasons.
In addition, the Ateneo de Davao University president, Fr. Karel San Juan, SJ, calls for humanitarian action concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict. The university strongly condemns the heinous acts committed during the war that ultimately undermined humanitarian laws.
The statement mentions that ADDU stands in unity with those advocating for peace and justice and continues to echo calls for the international community to prevent further jeopardy against innocent lives. Moreso, the university applauds the world leaders for their endeavors in denouncing the atrocities executed in the war.
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