Caregiver makes Filipinos proud

Not all heroes wear capes.

This was proven in the selfless and courageous act of Camille Jesalva, 31, an overseas Filipino worker, who saved her 95-year-old Israeli employer and herself from being brutalized by Hamas terrorists by paying them off with her meager savings.

She kept the money for her planned return to the Philippines.

Jesalva, caregiver of Nitza Hefetz, did not hesitate to offer her 1,500 New Israeli Shekel or equivalent to around P20,000 to a Hamas militant who stormed into their home in Kibbutz Nirim, which was close to the Gaza border that was breached in a sneak attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October that claimed 1,400 lives.

Jesalva and Hefetz were awakened by the sound of incoming rocket and mortar fire on the morning of the incident, leading them to take refuge in a bomb shelter inside their home, Emanuel Miller, a media analyst in Israel, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

At around 8 a.m., Jesalva heard voices outside, conversing in Arabic. She tried to secure the door of the protected room but had no luck.

Extraordinary being

Shortly after, Jesalva found herself face-to-face with members of Hamas as they finally broke into a bomb bunker.

Without hesitation, she pulled out her wallet and asked the militant to keep the money.

"I opened my wallet and told him to take everything just to save myself and Nitza," the carer, Camille Jesalva, told Ynet, an Israeli news site.

"I showed him the plane ticket and asked him just not to take that."

Jesalva had planned to leave for the Philippines on 9 October before the intruders arrived.

The heroic act and extraordinary courage of the caregiver in putting her life on the line and facing a militant earned global recognition.

Israeli Ambassador to Manila Ilan Fluss commended Jesalva for her exemplary demonstration of care and dedication as a Filipino caregiver for her Israeli employers, especially during challenging circumstances involving terror and death.

"This is an amazing story of the heroism of a Filipina [who] was able to save her employer. I think it's important for us to recognize and to really appreciate and to say thank you to her."                                 

WITH THE TIMES OF ISRAEL