Venezuela thanks Israel for earthquake aid as recovery efforts continue

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez expressed gratitude to Israel's humanitarian aid and assistance delegation for their operational support in the South American nation after a significant double earthquake struck on June 24. The Israeli delegation, which included civil engineers, has now concluded its mission in Venezuela.

According to a Presidential Press note, Rodríguez met with the delegation, which also received support from the Venezuelan Jewish community. The team's work centered on evaluating collapsed structures, diagnosing building vulnerabilities, and designing urgent contingency plans for managing the emergency. Rodríguez had previously met with this team two weeks prior, along with other international delegations, to coordinate debris removal efforts.

Elad Edri, a senior official from the Israel Defense Forces, participated in an earlier meeting, providing advice on waste management. Following the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, Venezuela's government welcomed rescue teams from dozens of countries, including nations with which it does not maintain diplomatic ties, such as Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Israel, and Canada.

As of Tuesday, Venezuelan authorities reported over 5,346 fatalities resulting from the earthquakes, which primarily impacted the northern region, particularly the coastal state of La Guaira near Caracas. The official toll indicates that 856 buildings were affected, with 190 completely collapsing. On Monday, Delcy Rodríguez announced the delivery of the first housing units to over 240 families displaced by the seismic events.