Israel has deployed search and rescue teams to Venezuela in the wake of devastating twin earthquakes that claimed at least 1,450 lives, left more than 3,200 people injured, and resulted in tens of thousands of individuals being unaccounted for. Israeli humanitarian organizations have joined the relief effort to help survivors and evaluate the most urgent needs on the ground.
The Israeli delegation consists of 16 rescue workers joined by specialists from Magen – Disaster & Emergency Management Company, the Ready for Rescue non-profit organization, and SmartAID. The team is delivering humanitarian aid and working alongside local rescue crews in the search for survivors.
Beyond search and rescue, the mission includes professionals focused on mental health and psychological first aid, water safety, sanitation, hygiene, and rapid evaluations of humanitarian conditions in the communities hit hardest by the disaster.
IsraAID Colombia, which has maintained ties with Venezuelan communities in Colombia since the peak of the Venezuelan refugee crisis in 2019, has continued building partnerships with local Venezuelan organizations in recent years. Those partnerships have included remote training in mental health and protection to better prepare communities for emergencies.
The two earthquakes, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck northern Venezuela and caused widespread destruction across the region.
Officials have reported as many as 50,000 people listed as missing in government databases, though thousands have since been located. The earthquakes caused 189 buildings to completely collapse and left 38 hospitals damaged. The United Nations placed the estimated economic toll at approximately $6.7 billion.
The Committee of the Jewish Communities of Venezuela launched an emergency fundraising drive on Sunday with an initial target of $2 million. By Sunday evening, the campaign had already collected $176,000 to help Jewish families affected by the earthquakes.
“About 80 Jewish families have lost their homes, and another 200 are afraid to return home. The community is currently assisting all of them,” a member of Caracas’s Jewish community told Walla.
Israeli rescue workers are continuing to operate alongside local authorities as humanitarian groups broaden their relief operations throughout the earthquake-stricken areas of Venezuela.
