Israel Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen visited Filipino Jimmy Pacheco, who was among the 24 hostages released by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday, Nov. 25.
Israel Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen (left) shakes hands with Jimmy Pacheco (right), a Filipino hostage who was released by Hamas. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Facebook)
In a post on the Facebook page of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, Nov. 26, it said that Cohen met Pacheco at an Israeli hospital, where he is undergoing medical evaluation after being held hostage for 49 days.
“Israeli citizens and foreign citizens shared the same fate in the face of a cruel enemy on that dark Sabbath,” the post quoted Cohen as saying.
The official also promised to free all the other hostages from Hamas.
“We are working with all of the parties to free all of the citizens from the hands of the Hamas terror organization, which still holds women, children and the elderly, as well as other foreign citizens,” the foreign affairs chief added.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Pedro Laylo Jr. was also with Cohen during the visit.
He introduced Pacheco to the foreign minister.
Laylo conveyed the Philippines’ gratitude to Israel for facilitating the release of the hostages.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Israel, the Israeli government “will provide Jimmy and his immediate family lifetime social security benefits and regular stipends similar to those given to Israelis who are victims of terrorist attacks.”
President Marcos and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Pacheco’s release as part of the first group of hostages that Hamas released under the terms of the four-day truce negotiated by Qatar.
The ceasefire began 7 a.m. on Friday, the first pause in the near-seven-week-old war that started when Hamas ambushed southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
But Pacheco is only one of the two Filipinos believed to be held captive by Hamas. Another is Noralyn Babadilla.
While there is no information yet on Pacheco’s repatriation, the Philippines has ongoing repatriation efforts in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon.