Jerusalem, 7 July, 2026 (TPS-IL) — When a Venezuelan man whose mother had been recovered from the rubble asked Israeli rescuers to recite Psalms over her body, “we realized that we had brought more than equipment and professional expertise — we had brought compassion, faith and human dignity,” Yosef Garmon, director of ZAKA in Latin America, told The Press Service of Israel on Tuesday.
Garmon spoke to TPS-IL from Venezuela, where he is serving with an Israeli humanitarian delegation responding to the country’s devastating June 24 earthquakes.
Despite Israel and Venezuela having no diplomatic relations, Venezuelan authorities requested additional assistance from the Israeli delegation, with Israeli experts helping develop a national recovery plan for areas devastated by the earthquakes. Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that its earthquake relief operation is entering a new phase.
“Everywhere we went, people welcomed us with gratitude,” Garmon told TPS-IL. “At one of the universities, hundreds of students came out to applaud our team.”
He added that even institutions that had previously expressed support for the Palestinian cause embraced the humanitarian effort after working alongside Israeli volunteers. “We did not come to debate politics; we came to save lives,” Garmon told TPS-IL. “As trust grew through our shared humanitarian efforts, representatives of the university asked us for an Israeli flag as a symbol of appreciation.”
The operation has drawn widespread attention in Venezuela, including visits from senior government officials and extensive local media coverage.
The mission is particularly notable because Israel and Venezuela have had no diplomatic relations since Caracas severed ties with Jerusalem in 2009 following the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict.
Venezuela is also home to a small Jewish community estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000 people.
“Our mission is simple: to save lives, relieve suffering and restore hope regardless of religion, nationality or politics,” Garmon said.
The Mission’s Next Phase
In addition to dozens of personnel already working in Venezuela, about 20 specialists are now assisting remotely from Israel, analyzing field data and helping prepare a long-term reconstruction strategy. The plan has already been presented to Venezuela’s infrastructure minister and is expected to be submitted to the country’s acting president in the coming days.
The Israeli delegation, made up of personnel from the Foreign Ministry, the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command and the National Emergency Management Authority, continues to work alongside local authorities to assess damaged buildings, determine which structures can be safely restored and help displaced residents return home.
According to official figures released by Venezuelan authorities, the earthquakes killed 3,535 people, injured 16,470 and left more than 17,000 homeless.
Working alongside the official delegation is ZAKA, Israel’s volunteer emergency response organization specializing in search, rescue and recovery operations. The organization partnered with the International Humanitarian Coalition to provide search and recovery operations, medical assistance and humanitarian aid.
Garmon told TPS-IL that reaching the disaster zone was itself a challenge. With airports in the affected region closed after the earthquake, his team entered the country overland through Colombia on a journey lasting more than 15 hours before obtaining government authorization to begin operating in affected areas.
Once deployed, ZAKA teams joined local emergency responders searching collapsed buildings, recovering victims and distributing food, medicine and medical supplies. The organization also brought specialist physicians to help relieve pressure on overwhelmed hospitals.
One encounter that left a lasting impression on Garmon involved a grieving son who asked Israeli volunteers to pray for his mother after her body was recovered from the ruins.
“After we prayed together, he told us that he could not believe that people from Israel, a country so far away, had come to help him when, in his words, no one else had come,” Garmon told TPS-IL. “Standing together in the middle of the ruins, we prayed with him. It was a powerful reminder that humanitarian work is not only about rescue and medical care—it is also about restoring dignity.”
As immediate rescue efforts transition to recovery, ZAKA is distributing tents, non-perishable food, medicine and other essential supplies while assessing longer-term needs. The organization is also evaluating land for a new residential neighborhood for families who lost their homes, modeled on previous reconstruction projects it carried out in Guatemala.
Reflecting on the mission, Garmon said Israeli disaster teams contribute more than technical expertise.
“One local told us, ‘Other delegations may have brought more equipment or larger teams, but you brought the most light and hope,’” he told TPS-IL. “To me, that is the essence of humanitarian work. We are not there only to rebuild buildings—we are there to help rebuild people’s spirit.”