2 Pinoys ‘no sign’ in Israel, DFA to verify if being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is looking into reports two Filipinos are among the hostages being held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“Not 100 percent verified but we are assuming that they are, as there is no sign of them in Israel. We are talking to various governments to seek their assistance,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told CNN Philippines on Thursday.

A Reuters report said over half of the estimated 220 hostages had foreign passports from 25 countries, including the Philippines.

During a virtual briefing on Wednesday, De Vega said they could not confirm whether there were any Filipino hostages.

“Israel believes that one of them, a male, is likely a hostage. They haven’t shown us the evidence. The wife of the supposed hostage has said from the beginning that she saw her husband taken on video,” he said.

Four Filipinos have died in the war between Israel and Hamas militants, while two others remain unaccounted for.

“That’s not ideal, but then again you notice that the numbers four and two have been maintained, so we can look at it as some sort of positive development that the numbers are not rising,” De Vega said.