JUST six months after migrating to Israel, a Filipina who had worked and lived in Lapu-Lapu City was killed in a missile attack in Haifa amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Lucille Jean Olasiman Gershovich, a 29-year-old native of Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, was killed on April 5, 2026, when a missile struck Haifa, a northern Israeli port city.
Earlier reports stated that Gershovich was employed as a money changer at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and worked in a hotel, where she spent years building her career. In 2024, she married an Israeli national, a union that eventually led to her migration to Israel in October 2025.
Gershovich, her 42-year-old husband, and her in-laws all lost their lives in the incident.
In an official statement, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” King-Chan said the City Government is closely coordinating with national agencies to ensure that the victim’s family receives the necessary assistance.
City Public Employment Services Office officer-in-charge Kim Francisco told SunStar Cebu on Saturday, April 11, that while Gershovich is not a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, the City Government is still providing assistance and coordinating with National Government agencies for the repatriation of her remains to the Philippines and its transport to her family in Lanao del Norte.
Chan has also expressed sorrow over the incident, extending condolences to the bereaved family and assuring them of government support.
She added the City Government is prepared to extend additional support and coordinate with all concerned agencies to ensure that the family is not left on their own and is given proper assistance.
The mayor called on the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv to immediately assist the family, particularly in processing all required documentation, providing support services and exploring possible repatriation assistance as well as other forms of aid from the national government.
Gershovich’s remains are expected to arrive in Manila on Sunday, April 12, before being transported to her hometown in Lanao del Norte. / DPC