First Filipino fatality in Israel-Iran conflict confirmed

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina overseas worker has died due to injuries sustained in the Israel-Iran bombings last month, the Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed Sunday, July 13 (Manila time).

In a statement, the embassy said Leah Mosquera, 49, succumbed to severe injuries early Sunday morning after being hit by an Iranian missile that struck her apartment in Rehovot, Israel, on June 15.

She was rushed to Shamir Medical Center, where she underwent several surgeries and was confined at the intensive care unit for weeks before her passing.

“The Embassy expresses its deepest gratitude to her and extends heartfelt condolences to the entire Mosquera family in the Philippines,” it said.

The news of her death was confirmed by her sister, Joy, according to the embassy.

The embassy said it is now coordinating repatriation arrangements and providing assistance to Mosquera's family.

“Throughout her many years working in Israel, she dedicated herself to supporting her family back home — an enduring symbol of the courage and sacrifice of overseas Filipino workers around the world,” the statement added.

Mosquera is the first confirmed Filipino fatality in the wake of the June 2025 conflict between Iran and Israel, which was sparked by Israel’s preemptive strikes on key Iranian military and nuclear sites.

The Israeli airstrikes, launched on June 13, targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile production sites, senior military leaders, and nuclear scientists — a move meant to derail what it said was Tehran’s progress toward developing nuclear weapons. — with reports from Agence France-Presse