Israel-Hamas conflict: 2 Filipinos injured

Israeli soldiers look at the remains of a police station which was the site of a battle following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel October 8, 2023. (REUTERS)

MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipinos were injured amid the ongoing armed conflict in Israel,  according to Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Anthony Mandap.

Mandap on Monday, October 9, 2023, said one of the two injured Filipinos is a male who was shot by members of the Palestinian group Hamas while he was being rescued by the Israel Defense Forces from a shelter.

READ MORE: What is Hamas?

“I was just on the telephone today with one of those who were injured, he was shot while being rescued by the Israel Defense Forces from a shelter,” Mandap said in an interview on CNN Philippines’ New Day.

Mandap added that the other injured Filipino is a female who suffocated during a fire.

“Apparently, the attacker burned her house down. She and her employer were suffocated. It’s a good thing they were rushed to the hospital in time,”  said Mandap.

READ MORE: Israel declares war; death toll now 1,100

“Those are the confirmed cases of injuries. There could be more so we’re still investigating this and [we’re] finding all possible contacts who might lead us to these individuals who might have been injured,” he said.

Mandap, in the same interview, confirmed that they have received unverified reports of Filipinos being abducted by the Hamas group.

READ MORE: Some flights to Tel Aviv cancelled due to Hamas attack

He said they have yet to confirm these reports, but he noted the Philippine Embassy in Israel was able to talk to the wife of one of the supposed hostages.

Mandap said the wife confirmed that it was her husband that was in the circulating video.

“[B]ut we don’t want to leave it at that because we want to be certain before we make any categorical announcement,” he stressed.

“We continue to coordinate with [the] Israeli government, particularly Israeli Defense forces just so we can ascertain this as a fact. We are also in touch with relatives and friends. But then again, there [is] no clear confirmation from anyone about the veracity of these reports and we continue to investigate,” Mandap said.