THE Israeli government has pledged comprehensive assistance, including lifelong livelihood support and insurance benefits, to the family of Filipina caregiver Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, who was killed in an Iranian airstrike in Tel Aviv, Ambassador Dana Kursh said.
Speaking during a media briefing in Manila on Tuesday, Kursh said the Israeli government would extend to de Vera’s family the same benefits provided under Israeli law to individuals harmed in war or terrorist attacks.
“I can guarantee that the government of Israel will support de Vera’s family and provide everything necessary to offer them as much comfort as possible,” Kursh said.
She explained that Israel’s national security authorities manage a system providing assistance packages for individuals — whether Israeli citizens or foreign nationals — killed or wounded in incidents linked to war or terrorism.
Under the program, de Vera will be formally recognized as a victim of war or a terrorist attack, entitling her family to long-term support.
Kursh said the benefits include life insurance and a monthly allowance for surviving family members, including her spouse and parents, as well as additional support such as psychological assistance if needed.
“The government will be providing life insurance for our kababayan (compatriot) Mary Anne,” Kursh said, emphasizing that the package aims to ease the family’s daily burdens.
“I don’t know the exact amounts, but what matters is the commitment of the state of Israel to those who lost their lives here,” she added.
Acknowledging that no support can undo the pain of losing a loved one, Kursh said the program is intended to help families cope with the aftermath of tragedy.
“It will not bring back Mary Anne. It will not remove the grief of her family, her husband and relatives. But it will try to ease, at least in part, the daily challenges they face,” she said.
The ambassador added she would personally represent Israel when de Vera’s remains are repatriated to her hometown of Basista, Pangasinan.
“I will be there when her body arrives. I will be at the airport with the family,” Kursh said, noting that the gesture reflects Israel’s solidarity with the bereaved family.
De Vera, 32, died from shrapnel injuries after an Iranian missile struck her apartment in Tel Aviv on March 1 while she was assisting her ward to safety. She was among Filipino nationals caught in the escalating tensions in the Middle East, where hostilities between Israel and Iran have raised concerns over the safety of foreign workers in the region.
In a related development, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it will extend financial and psychosocial assistance to the family of de Vera.
The agency’s Crisis Intervention Program has coordinated with its field office in the Ilocos Region and the local government of Basista, Pangasinan, to ensure proper support for the bereaved family.
“The DSWD deeply mourns the death of our fellow Filipino, Mary Anne, a caregiver in Israel, and we extend our condolences to her family as we stand ready to provide assistance to help them overcome this painful ordeal,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.
The department also assured aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program and possible livelihood support while coordinating with concerned agencies on the repatriation of her remains and the welfare of other overseas Filipino workers amid tensions in the region.
