By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Apart from causing significant disruptions to global order and trade, the ongoing Middle East crisis continues to take a toll on human lives—from fighters trading blows on the battlefield to civilians caught in the crosshairs of the conflict.
Unfortunately, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported early Tuesday that a Filipina was among the latest recorded casualties in the persistent row between Iran and the United States.
In a letter uploaded on social media, the agency expressed condolences to the loved ones of Lucille Jane Gershovich and promised to provide them with the necessary assistance.
This, on top of arrangements for the earliest possible repatriation of her remains back to the Philippines amid tense developments in the oil-rich region.
The Embassy of Israel in Manila, moreover, noted that Lucille was with her husband Dmitry (Dima) Gershovich, and her elderly parents-in-law Vladimir Gershovich and Lena Ostrovsky, who also perished in the missile attack.
In a separate statement, the Embassy condemned the unnecessary bloodshed that continues to wreak havoc on innocent people in the Middle East.
The statement read, “Two generations of one family were killed in this attack, another stark reminder that the Iranian regime continues to target civilians indiscriminately.”
It concluded, “Israel stands in profound solidarity with the bereaved family and the Filipino community, and shares in the grief over the loss of a Filipino life. We mourn together and honor their memory with dignity.”
Lucille was the second Filipino known to have perished in the exchange of bullets and missiles between Iran and the United States.
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