Israel dispatched a joint Foreign Ministry-Israel Defense Forces delegation to Venezuela on Tuesday to assist recovery efforts after powerful earthquakes there killed more than 1,700 people and left thousands homeless.
The mission, ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, was approved following a National Security Council review to coordinate the Israeli agencies involved and address the diplomatic and logistical challenges of operating in a country that has had no formal relations with Israel for 17 years.
Ambassador Yoed Magen, a senior Foreign Ministry diplomat who grew up in Venezuela, is leading the Foreign Ministry component, while Brig. Gen. Elad Edri, chief of staff of the IDF Home Front Command, heads the military delegation, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Magen told JNS that the mission reflects Israel’s longstanding commitment to providing humanitarian assistance following natural disasters.
“Following the severe earthquake that struck Venezuela, Israel decided to dispatch a professional aid mission to assist in mapping and assessing the stability of structures damaged by the disaster,” Magen said. “This is one of the most urgent needs after an earthquake and allows for decisions to be made about evacuation, rehabilitation and, most importantly, the safe return of residents to their homes.”
He said the Israeli experts would share the knowledge and experience the country has gained responding to natural disasters around the world while working in cooperation with Venezuelan authorities.
“This decision reflects the values that characterize Israel, which is one of the first countries to offer assistance when a humanitarian disaster strikes, wherever it occurs,” Magen said.
The team includes engineering experts from the Home Front Command and Foreign Ministry representatives. Additional specialists from the Home Front Command and the National Emergency Management Authority are expected to join later.
‘Moral commitment’
“This delegation expresses the moral commitment of the State of Israel to humanitarian assistance for peoples who have suffered natural disasters,” Sa’ar wrote on X. “Our heart is with the families who lost their loved ones and with the numerous injured.”
Israel and Venezuela have not had formal diplomatic relations since 2009, when Caracas severed ties with Jerusalem during “Operation Cast Lead” in Gaza. Despite the diplomatic freeze, the Israeli experts are expected to work directly with their Venezuelan counterparts, according to needs on the ground, the Foreign Ministry said.
Following the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, killing hundreds, injuring thousands and overwhelming local emergency systems, several Israeli organizations, including NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, sent emergency medical teams to the Caracas region as part of a wider Israeli humanitarian response through non-governmental networks.
The quakes have also affected Venezuela’s Jewish community of about 5,000 people. Three community members have been confirmed dead, four remain missing, and at least 15 Jewish families have lost their homes, while another 30-35 families have been displaced after their apartments were rendered uninhabitable, according to Roberto Mishkin, president of the Union Israelita de Caracas, the country’s largest Ashkenazi congregation.
