Filipino Gaza captivity survivor Jimmy Pacheco names newborn daughter 'Israela'

Jimmy Galinor Pacheco, a Filipino national who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and released after 49 days in captivity as part of a hostage deal, and his wife Clarisse, welcomed a baby girl – and the couple chose to name her Israela.

The Head of the Hostages and Missing Persons Bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office congratulated the family on the birth on Tuesday.

Jimmy was released in the first hostage deal alongside Thai nationals who had been kidnapped from the Gaza Envelope area . He had been the caregiver of Amichai Ben Tzvi, a resident of the kibbutz who was murdered on Oct. 7.

“My father told him to run and save himself, but he refused,” said Avishai, Amichai’s son, after Jimmy’s release in November 2023. Jimmy had cared for Amichai for four years. “We felt really close to him,” Avishai added.

Jimmy and other foreign nationals held during the initial 49 days of captivity described harsh conditions.

“Most of them lost a significant percentage of their body weight – one, who was held alone, lost 27%,” said Dr. Ronit Zeidenstein, head of the internal medicine department at the hospital, and Dr. Ronit Koren, deputy department head.

“They were kept in extremely difficult conditions. They lost both weight and muscle mass. Once a day, they received a small portion of rice, bread, and lightly salted water to drink, in controlled amounts. Some didn’t even get that – let alone soap, which they never saw.”

Four foreign nationals remain in Hamas captivity to this day, 662 days since they were kidnapped.

Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak, both Thai citizens, were murdered on Oct. 7, and their bodies were taken to Gaza from the area around Kibbutz Be’eri.

Bipin Joshi, a 24-year-old from Nepal, was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim; the last sign of life from him was a video recorded at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital early in the war.

Joshua Loitu Mollel, a 21-year-old Tanzanian national, was murdered on Oct. 7 in Kibbutz Nahal Oz and his body was also taken to Gaza.