DFA confirms death of two Filipinos in Israel

Two Filipinos were among the foreign nationals who were killed in the ongoing war between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist Hamas, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed Wednesday.

"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," Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a series of tweets.

Manalo, however, did not elaborate on how the said Filipinos were killed.

Earlier, the DFA said there were at least seven Filipinos who were taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Manalo said that the Philippine government would "continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipino nationals in Israel and Palestine."

There are almost 30,000 overseas Filipino Workers in Israel, including 137 others in Gaza – the epicenter of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The DFA previously said that there were no requests for immediate repatriation from Filipinos living in Israel but noted it received repatriation requests from a total of 25 Filipinos in Gaza.

Manalo said 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."