A Filipino caregiver from Pangasinan died in Israel after being struck by shrapnel as she escorted her patient to a bomb shelter, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed Sunday night, March 1.
Mary Anne Velazquez De Vera was among thousands of overseas Filipino workers caught in the escalating Middle East conflict following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran the previous day. Her husband, also working in Israel, has confirmed her identity.
“Siya ay namatay dahil tinamaan ng shrapnel ng mga bumagsak na bomba,” Marcos said.
The strikes on Iran on February 28 touched off a rapid escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, a death Iranian state media subsequently announced early Sunday. Iran responded by firing missiles and drones at U.S. military bases in the Gulf, though the attacks also affected civilian and commercial areas across several Gulf cities.
Philippine embassies and labor officials have been on heightened alert since hostilities broke out, coordinating efforts to account for and protect Filipinos in the region, Marcos said, adding that the government will extend full assistance to De Vera’s family.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has stated it is prepared to support repatriation and crisis response operations for affected Filipinos if ordered to do so.
