Israel is preparing to send an aid delegation to Venezuela following the earthquakes that hit the country on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said, demonstrating the country's humanitarian commitment even in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. The ministry is conducting a situation assessment with relevant Israeli authorities and examining options for assistance as casualty estimates climb into the thousands.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 kilometers west of Caracas on Thursday, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey. The USGS, using predictive modeling to estimate the death toll, said it would most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000.
Israeli Medical and Humanitarian Response
The Health Ministry is preparing to send a medical aid delegation to Venezuela, including forming medical, logistics, and emergency response teams that will join the effort, pending coordination with and approval from the Foreign Ministry. Four member organizations of the Society for International Development (SID Israel) have begun activating their response teams to assist.
IsraAID, Israel's largest non-governmental humanitarian aid agency, confirmed that it is deploying an emergency response team to the South American country. The NGO's initial team will include emergency response specialists and humanitarian experts from the organization's ongoing mission in Colombia and its global Emergency Response Team. The staff will focus on mental health and psychological first aid, water, sanitation and hygiene, and rapid needs assessment in affected communities, IsraAID said.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is coordinating with local Jewish communities to provide food, clean water, medicine, and emergency shelters, as well as preparing for Caracas International Airport to reopen so it can deploy its own emergency response team. SmartAID is working with Venezuelan partners to assess urgent humanitarian needs and will deliver equipment and emergency relief supplies. Natan Worldwide Disaster Relief is sending a team of medical and psychosocial support professionals to conduct a rapid needs assessment and lay the groundwork for a broader humanitarian response in the days ahead.
Support for Venezuelan Jewish Communities
Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund announced on Thursday that it is preparing to provide aid totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels to Venezuela's Jewish communities. This includes 500 families who were evacuated from their homes. KKL-JNF chairman Eyal Ostrinsky spoke with Roberto Mishkin, a senior leader of the Jewish community in Venezuela, and KKL-JNF Venezuela's CEO, who updated him on the situation.
"KKL is committed to Jewish communities in the Diaspora, which are an inseparable part of us both in routine times and in emergencies. Just as we were there during Operation Roaring Lion system in Beit Shemesh, Beersheba, Dimona, and Arad with communities that suffered severe damage and extreme upheaval, so we will be there for our brothers in Venezuela in their time of need," Ostrinsky said.
There are no reported casualties within the Jewish community in Caracas so far, Miguel Trozman, one of the heads of the Confederation of Jewish Associations of Venezuela, told Walla. "Many members of the Jewish community chose to go through this difficult night together and are now sleeping in the Jewish community center in the city," he said.
International Response
US President Donald Trump said that the two earthquakes that hit Venezuela earlier in the day had "left a devastating number of deaths," without citing any official casualty figures. "The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "The USA stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China would do what it could to assist Venezuela. No Chinese casualties or injuries have been reported so far, according to the authorities. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered his support to Venezuela, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares adding that Spain was ready to supply any emergency aid required. President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva similarly declared the nation's support for the Venezuelan government's recovery efforts and directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas to assess how Brazil could help.
Why This Matters:
Israel's rapid humanitarian response to Venezuela—despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries—demonstrates the operational capacity that comes from sustained investment in emergency preparedness and regional partnerships. As the director of Humanitarian Assistance at SID Israel noted, "Humanitarian organizations don't build emergency response capacity when disaster strikes – they build it over many years. The ability to respond quickly is rooted in long-term investment in preparedness, trusted partnerships, and sustained engagement with local communities." Israel's network of humanitarian organizations, built through years of international engagement, allows for deployment within hours even in complex political environments. The earthquake also highlights Israel's commitment to Jewish communities worldwide, with immediate coordination between Israeli organizations and Venezuelan Jewish leaders ensuring rapid assessment and targeted aid delivery. The international convergence of aid from Israel, the United States, China, Spain, and Brazil underscores the humanitarian imperative that transcends political divisions in moments of catastrophic natural disaster.