Filipino Caregiver Places Life and Savings at Risk, Saves Employer to Hamas Gunman

Israel's Response To Hamas Attack Complicated By Hostages And Concerns Over Gaza Campaign

(Photo : Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
NIR YITZHAK, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 25: Shot through shattered glass frame bloody footprints staining on the floor after Hamas militants shot at civilians, sitting on their couch before they ran to the safe room, where they were killed, in homes two weeks earlier near the border with Gaza on October 25, 2023 in Nir Yitzhak, Israel. In the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left 1,400 dead and 200 kidnapped, Israel launched a sustained bombardment of the Gaza Strip and threatened a ground invasion to vanquish the militant group that governs the Palestinian territory. But the fate of the hostages, Israelis and foreign nationals who are being held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as international pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, have complicated Israel's military response to the attacks. A timeline for a proposed ground invasion remains unclear.

A Filipino caregiver, Camille Jesalva, saved her 95-year-old employer, Nitza Hefetz, as she risked her life and gave all her savings to the Hamas gunmen who attacked their home at Kibbutz Nirim.

On Wednesday, Aviva Klompas, a former speechwriter for Israeli delegates to the United Nations and a communication strategist for different Jewish communities worldwide, posted Jesalva's story on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jesalva Saves Hefetz

On October 7, Hamas militants barged into Hefetz's home with Jesalva, and they could have been killed or taken hostage. But Jesalva offered her $370 (P21,000) savings to the gunmen, which she planned to give to her family in the Philippines when she returned.

"I opened my wallet and told him to take everything I had, NIS 1,500 ($370), just to save myself and Nitza," Jesalva quoted, as The Times of Israel reported.

Jesalva showed her plane ticket and said they could take everything but not her ticket as she booked an October 9 flight to the Philippines to be with her 7-year-old son, whom she had not seen for almost two years.

Hefetz tried to protest during the conversation between Jesalva and the gunmen. But Jesalva told Hefetz to stay quiet, and she saw the gunmen were also nervous.

According to Inquirer.Net, Jesalva defended Hefetz and told the gunmen to understand Hefetz as she was already old and barely understood anything. Fortunately, the gunmen left with the money and Jesalva's phone.

Jesalva locked herself with Hefetz in a protected room and hugged the 95-year-old for about two hours until Israeli defense forces arrived. She was so scared and thought she was going to die that day, so she messaged her mother and asked to send a picture of his son.

Jesalva Express Gratefulness for Second Life

Jesalva's story was confirmed to the Inquirer by the Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, Anthony Mandap.

Mandap said that Jesalva canceled her flight to the Philippines after the incident. However, Jesalva is looking forward to going home in a month. Jesalva continued to work for Hefetz and said she could not leave Hefetz alone.

"I feel that I cannot leave her. I feel that she is my best friend," she said. On October 22, Jesalva celebrated Nitza's 95th birthday at the Nofim home for older people in Jerusalem and posted a photo together on her Facebook page.

She said that this is a new life and season for them. She thanked God for her second life and cannot wait to visit his son soon.

Klompas described Jesalva as extraordinary and heroic. She added that if there were more people like Jesalva, then maybe the world could have been a better place. Hefetz's daughter, Yael Arieli, praised and thanked Jesalva for saving her mother's life. Arieli also called her an "angel."