Israel honors Oct. 7 victims, including OFWs

By Marita Moaje, Philippine News Agency

COURAGE, FRIENDSHIP. Israel and the Philippines commemorate the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Tuesday (Nov. 4, 2025) in Makati City, honoring six Filipino workers who died and three who survived the tragedy. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac (2nd from right) and Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh (right) paid tribute to the victims’ courage and to the enduring friendship between the two nations. (Photo: PNA/Facebook)

MANILA – Two years after the deadly Hamas assault in Israel, the memory of the Oct. 7, 2023 tragedy remained vivid, not only for Israelis’, but also for Filipinos who witnessed the event and whose lives were forever changed that day.

At a solemn commemoration ceremony in Makati on Tuesday, candles were lit and names were read, among them six overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who perished and three who survived the violence that engulfed southern Israel.

The OFWs were caregivers, breadwinners, parents, ordinary workers caught in extraordinary horror, whom Israel considers heroes and family.

Emotional in her speech, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh invited everyone “to connect with the pain of… the pain of loss, captivity, surviving.”

“Imagine being a parent waiting endlessly, a child who’ll never see his mother or father again, a friend whose laughter is long gone,” she said.

Kursh described Filipino caregivers as “angels of compassion” who, she said, have become part of Israeli homes and hearts.

“The Filipino people stood with us through the hardest of times. We will never forget the lives lost, their love, their courage, and their light,” she added.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac also remembered the six Filipinos killed, and three who survived, including Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco, who was held hostage by the Hamas terrorist for 49 days.

“We remember not only their sufferings but their strength. Their stories remind us of the resilience and hope that define the Filipino spirit, even in the darkest moments,” he said.

During the event, Pacheco, who also worked as a caregiver, shared his experience with his employer, whom he said was like a father to him.

He also recalled meeting other hostages and helping to take care of them.

Pacheco shared that he had surrendered himself that time, not expecting to survive the harrowing experience.

After he was released and repatriated to be with his family, Gelienor shared that his wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter, whom he named “Israela,” as a gesture of gratitude to the country that became his second home, and a tribute to his Israeli employer, who was killed in the attack.

Despite the experience, Pacheco said that he still wanted to return and work in Israel.

“Israelis are very nice people, and I love Israel,” he said.

Kursh, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to the Philippine government and to the OFWs who never left their elderly employers even in the face of danger.

“We will never forget the Filipinos who stood with us; their courage and kindness are forever part of Israel’s story,” she said.

Cacdac, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan, and Kursh reaffirmed their support and commitment to protect and assist Filipino workers in Israel.