Israel has expressed its sympathy with the Philippines following the death of two Filipinos due to Hamas militants' actions and honored the Filipino people's contribution to the country amid the raging war.
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss on Wednesday, Oct. 11, expressed his condolences to the families of the Filipino victims whose lives were lost as a result of the militants' surprise attack over the weekend.
He also expressed his gratitude to all the Filipinos, who are mostly caregivers, in Israel, especially those who remain unaccounted for.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the families, but also to express our gratitude to those six Filipinos and generally speaking to the OFWs in Israel, who are there staying with our families, with elderly people," Fluss said in an interview with ANC.
"Even at the time of this emergency, the Filipinos are not requesting to be evacuated from Israel. They're staying with us there. We treat them like we treat our own people and all citizens," he added.
In a statement, the Israeli Embassy in Manila said it strongly condemned "the acts of terrorism by Hamas towards the innocent Israeli citizens and other nationalities in Israel."
"Israel will continue to defend itself against Hamas," it added.
Fluss assured Filipinos that the Israeli government will protect those living in Israel regardless of their nationalities.
The ambassador advised them to follow procedures during emergencies amid challenging times.
"I would say that I do call and I do want to express my appreciation to a lot of messages of sympathy and support from the Filipino people which have been receiving personally also from the government from all parts of society. Thank you for being one with us," he said.
"We passed so many horrific attacks in the past. We will also survive this time. But we appreciate very much the moral and political support that we're getting from you and it shows us solidarity and friendship between our two countries and think together," he added.