Woman killed Saturday in missile strike on Tel Aviv identified as Philippine national

Israeli embassy in Manilla says caregiver Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, 32, was killed ‘while selflessly assisting her patient’; man, 102, dies after falling while rushing to shelter

The woman killed in an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv late Saturday was identified Sunday as 32-year-old Philippine national Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, a caregiver who lived with her patient.

She was the first person in Israel to be killed during the renewed fighting with Iran, which began earlier Saturday with a massive, joint US-Israeli attack. The two allies bombed sites across the country and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of top military officials, after weeks of escalating tensions in the region. Iran responded by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel and other countries across the region.

“Mary Ann was injured while selflessly assisting her patient to safety during Operation Roaring Lion on March 1, 2026,” the Israeli embassy in the Philippines said in a statement.

“A stark reminder that the Iranian regime continues to sow terror indiscriminately, targeting civilians without distinction,” it added.

“Mary Ann, like so many overseas Filipino workers in Israel, exemplified resilience, compassion, and quiet strength. She was identified by her husband, who is also an overseas Filipino worker in Israel, and their family,” the embassy said.

President Isaac Herzog called Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola to express his condolences over de Vera’s death, the President’s Residence told The Times of Israel.

De Vera was found in critical condition after a ballistic missile struck next to an apartment building in the coastal city, causing heavy damage to the structure and its environs. Paramedics pronounced her dead while rushing her to the hospital.

The woman she was caring for was extracted by rescue workers from the rubble alive.

Twenty-seven others were injured, including two in moderate condition and 25 who sustained light injuries in the attack. They were taken to three different hospitals in the area by paramedics.

Among those rescued from the building were a 2-month-old infant and his older sister. Their parents were evacuated from the complex soon after they were. According to Channel 12, seven of those injured in the strike were children.

102-year-old man dies after falling on way to shelter

On Sunday, a 102-year-old man who was injured by a fall while seeking cover from an Iranian missile attack died of his wounds, according to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov-Sourasky Medical Center.

The man was injured in Ramat Gan after falling down the stairs while on his way to a protected area during an Iranian missile barrage.

Paramedics found the man in an unstable condition, having sustained serious head trauma, after they received a report of the incident at around 2 p.m.

The emergency teams administered first aid to the injured man, and then rushed him to Sourasky, Magen David Adom said.

Another Iranian missile strike on Sunday directly hit a residential area in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, killing nine and injuring at least 50. The missile destroyed a synagogue and caused extensive damage to a public bomb shelter and surrounding homes.

The IDF said that the failure to intercept the missile was under investigation by the Israeli Air Force.

The missile impact in Beit Shemesh was the deadliest in Israel during the current conflict with Iran. The deadliest strike in Israel during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025 also killed nine people, when a missile struck a Bat Yam apartment building.