Israel Ambassador Assures Protection of OFWs in Israel:
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines, Ilan Fluss, assured the Philippine government that OFWs in Israel are protected from the havoc of the terrorist group Hamas attack in the Middle East.
In a virtual briefing, Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss assured that the Israeli government would not leave Filipinos behind as it retaliates against the Palestinian militants from their surprise attack in Southern Israel that killed more than 250 Israelis.
“Let me say and stress [that] we have close to 30,000 Filipino OFWs in Israel. We treat them like we treat any other Israeli nationals, and we try to protect them as well as we try to protect our Israeli citizens,” the Israeli envoy said.
Based on the official data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are almost 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, most of whom work in the Middle Eastern country’s caregiving, hospitality, engineering, and healthcare industries.
The massive attack against Israel, according to the Israeli Ambassador, took place on the sacred day of the Simchat Torah-a Jewish religious celebration-left more than 250 people killed and 1,600 injured.
Ambassador Fluss also confirmed that the militant group Hamas from the Gaza Strip captured more than 100 Israelis and used them as hostages.
Meanwhile, there is no verification yet of some reports surfacing online that there were Filipinos allegedly being taken by Hamas as hostages.
“I’ve seen the reports regarding the OFWs being kidnapped… We know that there were some foreign nationals who were also killed and probably some who have been kidnapped,” he said.
“We don’t have any verification of information regarding Filipino nationals as of this time,” he added.
Through the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine government is still verifying the reported kidnapping of Filipinos in a Hamas attack in Israel.
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv received “unconfirmed reports” that some Filipinos working near the Israeli border were captured on Saturday morning. “The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv has received these unconfirmed reports. We are still verifying them,” she said.
Daza, meanwhile, assured that all Filipino agro-studies students in Israel are “accounted for,” based on the latest update. “We are, however, continuing to monitor the situation. We have asked the authorities to secure them,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Israel announced its closure on Sunday morning due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict. It will be open only until further notice due to the current situation in Israel.
Filipinos in Israel are also advised to contact the Embassy’s Emergency number through their hotline: +972-54-4661188.
The Department of Migrant Workers has set up a 24/7 Task Force Israel Desk for Filipinos in Israel, which may be reached at +63 2 1348 or via WhatsApp and Viber at +63 9083268344, +63 9271478186, or +63 9205171059.° (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)
