MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipinos have been killed so far in the war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Wednesday, October 11.

“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,” said Manalo in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

In a press briefing with the media in Manila, officials of the Philippine Embassy in Israel said they were verifying another death of a Filipino national. A DNA test is currently being undertaken on the remains of that person.

Three more Filipinos remain missing in Israel.

“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,” said Manalo.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed sadness over the news.

“My heart is heavy upon hearing confirmation of the deaths of two Filipinos in Israel. The Philippines condemns these killings and stands firmly against the ongoing terror and violence,” Marcos said in a statement. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said six Filipinos remained unaccounted for after four days of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. Manalo said the Philippines would “continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipinos nationals in Israel and Palestine.”

There are at least 30,000 Filipinos in Israel and over 100 in the Gaza Strip. The Department of Migrant Workers had advised Filipinos in Israel to stay put in the meantime. This is in line with instructions from the Israeli Homefront Command, and that repatriation or transport is not advisable at the moment.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Colonel Medal Aguilar said the Philippines is ready to repatriate Filipino nationals and their families in Gaza. There have been no repatriation requests from Filipinos in Israel thus far.

The Philippines is prepared to deploy two planes – a C295 and C130 – for the mission. It identified the Adana Airport in Turkey as a safe haven for those seeking evacuation. The AFP plans to ferry passengers on a smaller plane from the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and bring them to Turkey before they embark on what would likely be a 30-hour flight from Adana, Turkey, to the Philippines.

The number of people who want to exit Gaza and be repatriated to the Philippines has reached over 70, said DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega. While most of those who want to leave are Filipino nationals, the figure also includes the Palestinian husbands of Filipino nationals.

Palestinians are classified as “restricted nationals,” meaning they must obtain temporary visitor’s visas before entering the Philippines.

“But since they are married [to Filipino nationals], we have no indication that we will not allow them to come back,” said De Vega.

The problem, however, is if the Palestinians would be allowed to leave Gaza.

The Philippines also has yet to finalize how its nationals and their spouses would be able to exit Gaza in the first place.

The Palestinian territory, although controlled by Gaza, is completely blockaded. Its only exit is through the border with Israel. Israeli forces have said that they’ve since regained control of the border. – Rappler.com