From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 12, 2026
‘An angel’: Herzog meets widower of Filipina caregiver killed in Iranian missile attack
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
President Isaac Herzog meets with the widower of Filipina carer Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, who was killed last week in an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv, expressing his condolences for his loss.
“Mary Anne was an angel,” Herzog tells Bernie Galsim Lavarias, during a meeting at the President’s Residence, according to a readout from his office. “So many Israelis were hurt by and took to heart the loss of Mary Anne,” Herzog adds.
Velasquez de Vera, 32, was the first fatality in Israel during the ongoing US-Israeli war with Tehran.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola, who is also in attendance, adds that “Mary Anne is not the only Filipino killed in this war,” noting that four Filipino nationals were killed in the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, which sparked Israel’s war with the terror group in Gaza and expanded to include confrontations with Tehran, which backs Hamas and other regional proxies.
Mendiola adds that another Filipina national working as a caregiver was killed in an Iranian missile attack during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.
“It pains us, but when you ask the Filipino community, many choose to remain because they see themselves as a partner and a family member,” Mendiola adds.
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