The Philippine government is now presuming that the two missing Filipinos in Israel were taken hostage by Hamas during their 7 October cross-border attack, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

"Actually, we assume they are hostages because they have not been accounted for. They're not included in the report," DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo told reporters in a chance interview.

Manalo said the Philippine government is exhausting all diplomatic efforts to locate the two missing Filipinos.

"We're working on that. So we're seeking help to see if we can find them," he said.

Citing the Israeli government, international multimedia news provider Reuters reported last week that the two Filipinos who were previously tagged as missing were among the estimated 220 hostages being held by Hamas.

The two Filipinos, whose identities have not been revealed, went missing after the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas on Israel which left more than 1,400 dead, including four Filipinos.

Over the weekend, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the Philippine government has not received any demands from the Hamas for the release of any Filipino hostages.

Meanwhile, Secretary Manalo reiterated that the Philippine Embassy in Egypt is prepared should the Rafah  border crossing begin allowing evacuees to cross over from the Gaza Strip.

"The problem is that the corridor is not yet open for them (Filipinos) to pass. But the minute that corridor is open, we will have our assets available to take them out probably through Egypt," he said.

At the moment, the DFA said there are 136 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip — the battlefield in the ongoing armed conflict between Hamas and Israel.