Filipino caregiver vows to stand by 95-year-old Israeli employer until the end

Camille Jesalva, a 31-year-old caregiver from Nueva Ecija, is devoted to looking after her 95-year-old patient, Nitza Hefetz, until the patient’s passing, even while working at the Gaza Strip-Israel border.

“Bakit ko iiwan ‘yung pinangakuan kong ‘di ko siya iiwan? (Why would I abandon the one I’ve sworn never to leave?)” Jesalva said in a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.

Jesalva was described by some Israelis as an “angel” because she offered her savings amounting to $350 (equivalent to approximately P19,881.92) to the Hamas militants who had entered their home, all to save both of their lives.

She credited Nitza for shaping her into the person she is today, emphasizing that her patient has been her greatest teacher.

“Ayoko pa siyang makitang mamatay pa talaga. Siya ‘yung dahilan nasusuportahan ko ‘yung anak ko bilang single mom,” she said.

(I can’t bear the thought of her passing away. She’s the reason I can provide for my child as a single mother.)

“I cannot forgive myself if namatay si Nitza dahil iniwan ko. (I cannot forgive myself if Nitza dies because I left her),” she added.

She shared her plans to take a fifty-day vacation in the Philippines to spend Christmas with her family and celebrate what she calls her “second life.”

Jesalva, having spent five years and four months as a caregiver in Israel, is no stranger to living in a “red alert” area, residing in Nirim Kibbutz on the Gaza-Israel border.

On October 7, when Hamas militants entered Israel, Nirim Kibbutz was among the first towns they reached due to its location on the border.

Jesalva said that the Philippine Embassy has confirmed her repatriation and return flight plans after her “vacation.”

As of October 30, Foreign Undersecretary Jose De Vega reported that there are still 115 Filipinos in Gaza awaiting repatriation. — Ian Laqui