War comes home

A Filipina killed in a missile strike in Israel earlier this month was brought home to the Philippines on Thursday night, as officials and relatives received her remains at a Manila airport.

The victim, Lucille Jean Gershovich, 29, died on 5 April when a missile struck a residential building in Haifa, according to Philippine and Israeli authorities.

Her Israeli husband and his parents were also killed in the attack.

Philippine officials said the return of her remains was arranged through coordination between the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv and agencies handling migration and consular services.

Israeli diplomats were among those present during the arrival.

Her body will be transported to Lanao del Norte for burial. She had family ties to Kolambugan and had spent part of her life in Cebu before relocating abroad in 2025 following her marriage the previous year.

Her death is the second involving a Filipino national in recent missile attacks in Israel.

In late February, a Filipina caregiver was killed in Tel Aviv during an earlier round of strikes.

The attack in Haifa occurred as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensified, with both sides exchanging missile and drone strikes in recent weeks.

Some of the attacks have struck residential areas, according to official and media reports.

About 31,000 Filipinos are in Israel, while an estimated 2.4 million are working across the Middle East.

The latest repatriation adds to a series of government responses to crises involving OFWs, as conflicts in different regions continue to pose risks to civilian populations.