JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally expressed condolences Thursday to the husband of a Filipino caregiver killed in an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv, praising her heroism and assuring financial support for her family under Israel’s war victims compensation program.
Herzog met Bernie Galsim Lavarias at the President’s Residence (Beit HaNassi) in Jerusalem, accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola. The meeting came as Lavarias prepared to accompany his wife’s remains back to the Philippines on a flight departing Thursday night.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I send my deepest condolences to Mary Ann’s family and the entire nation of the Philippines,” Herzog said. He described Mary Ann Velasquez de Vera as “an angel” and a “hero” who died while protecting her elderly ward during the attack.
De Vera, 32, from Basista, Pangasinan, was escorting her patient to a shelter in Tel Aviv when shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck her on Feb. 28. The strike followed a joint U.S.-Israel military operation targeting Tehran, marking the opening of intensified hostilities in the conflict with Iran, referred to in some reports as “Operation Roaring Lion.” She was the first fatality reported in Israel from the Iranian retaliation and died of her injuries en route to the hospital.
Herzog noted personal ties, saying his own family had once employed a Filipino caregiver and that many Israelis view Filipino caregivers as family members. He expressed gratitude for the Filipino community’s compassion, dedication and contributions to Israeli society, particularly amid the ongoing conflict.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed that Lavarias would receive financial assistance and a monthly stipend through Israel’s National Insurance Institute program for war victims.
Ambassador Mendiola thanked Herzog for the support and conveyed the grief of the Filipino community over de Vera’s death and those of five other Filipinos killed in the war with Iran last year as well as during the Oct. 7 attacks. She stressed the need for workplaces employing Filipino workers to have accessible shelters during emergencies and expressed hope for peace to prevent further innocent losses.
De Vera had worked in Israel since 2019 as a caregiver. Her employers and others remembered her as selfless and kindhearted.
The Philippine government has coordinated the repatriation of her remains, with family and embassy officials assisting Lavarias.
