FOUR Filipinos in Israel have been injured in retaliatory strikes launched by Iran over the weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The Philippine Embassy earlier said a Filipino was among those affected when missiles fired by Iran hit several houses in Marom Nave in Ramat Gan on June 14. It said the Filipino was inside a bomb shelter, or “mamad,” when the missile struck.
The Filipino has been evacuated to Tel Aviv and is now staying in a hotel, and will be provided additional assistance and psychosocial support to him in the coming days, the embassy also said.
Ambassador Aileen Mendiola said the embassy has activated its crisis management team (CMT) to ensure the safety of Filipinos as Israel and Iran continued to trade fire for the third straight day yesterday.
There are at least 30,700 Filipinos living and working in Israel and at least 1,180 in Iran, mostly married to Iranian nationals.
On the injured, Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said in an interview with ABS-CBN News the four were from Rehovot City some 20 kilometers south of Tel-Aviv, and have been brought to hospitals.
The embassy has urged the Filipino community to follow the Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command’s security guidelines and the embassy’s safety advisories, as well as to be alert and ready to act.
It said that when an air raid alert or siren or emergency broadcast is heard, Filipinos should immediately head to bomb shelter or any protected space for their safety.
For emergency assistance, the embassy said it be may reached at emergency hotline number +972 54 4661188, and through email at telaviv.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
