( CNN ) -- Officials are still trying to secure the release of dozens of U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji who were taken captive by al Qaeda-linked rebels from Syria . The peacekeepers were captured Thursday in the Golan Heights , a day after rebels seized control of a border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied territory . Filipino peacekeepers , who also came under assault from the rebels , were all reported to be safe after slipping past the attackers . The peacekeepers are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force , which has overseen a buffer zone in the Golan Heights since 1974 to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Syria . Fighting from Syria 's civil war spilled over into the buffer zone last week . Uncertain location . The Fijians ' exact whereabouts remain unclear after they were forced from their position near the Syrian town of Quneitra by the rebels . They have access to food , water and medical supplies and are all believed to be in good health , Brig . Gen. Mosese Tikoitoga , the commander of the Fijian military , said in a statement Monday . But the United Nations said Sunday that `` no additional information on their status or location has been established . '' An Israeli military official , speaking on the condition of anonymity , told CNN last week that the peacekeepers were being held by members of the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front , one of the groups fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad . The United Nations said it was continuing to `` actively seek their immediate and unconditional release . '' There was conflicting information on the exact number of peacekeepers being held . The United Nations put the number at 44 , but Fijian authorities said Monday there were 45 . Al-Nusra released pictures online over the weekend that purported to show 45 peacekeepers and their U.N. identification cards . Filipinos escape . Other U.N. peacekeeping positions in the buffer zone have also come under attack since the capture of the Fijians . Rebel fighters advanced to surround two posts where Filipino peacekeepers were based and began to attack the positions on Saturday . The U.N. troops at one position were moved to safety . But the other post returned fire after coming under attack from mortars and machine guns . The exchange of fire prevented the peacekeepers from safely pulling back , the United Nations said . But the trapped peacekeepers then managed to escape early Sunday and get to Camp Ziuoani , which is on the Israeli side of the border , the official Philippines News Agency reported . Top military officials in the Philippines praised the peacekeepers ' defense of their positions and dramatic escape , according to local media . 'Peacekeepers , not combatants ' The U.N. force in the Golan Heights also includes troops from India , Ireland , Nepal and the Netherlands . Fijian and U.N. officials have been calling for the immediate release of the captive peacekeepers . `` These men are peacekeepers , not combatants in the Syrian conflict , and there is no need for them to be detained , '' Fijian Prime Minister J. V. Bainimarama said Friday . He said authorities were `` doing everything possible to secure their safe return . '' U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the detention of the peacekeepers . The Golan Heights border crossing made headlines earlier last week , when the al-Nusra Front handed over American journalist Peter Theo Curtis to U.N. peacekeepers on the Syrian side of the checkpoint . CNN 's Ralph Ellis and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report .
The detained troops are reported to have food , water and medicine , a Filipino official says . They were detained in the Golan Heights on a day by rebels from the Fijian conflict . The Al-Nusra says it has `` no additional information on their status or location '' Filipino peacekeepers who came under attack in the area managed to escape .