Israeli-Led Rescue Team Saves Venezuelan Child Six Days After Devastating Earthquake

Six days after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, a rescue team from Jordan successfully extracted a young boy named Klayber Moran alive from the rubble in La Guaira state, the hardest-hit region near Caracas. The child, estimated to be between two and three years old, was immediately taken to a local hospital for medical care.

The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and occurring 40 seconds apart on the night between Wednesday and Thursday last week (Israel time), have caused at least 1,943 deaths with tens of thousands still missing. In response, a joint delegation from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDF, and Home Front Command departed for Venezuela on Tuesday to provide expert assistance, particularly in engineering, as requested by Venezuelan authorities.

Already on the ground is Rabbi Yosef Garmon, former Chief Rabbi of Guatemala and current CEO of the Humanitarian Coalition, who leads a team of local volunteers trained by the ZAKA International Brigade in rescue, trauma, and medical aid. This international volunteer network spans Latin American countries including Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador. Garmon emphasized the critical need for medical aid and supplies, especially within the first 72 hours when survivors can still be found, though the rescue window is closing.

Additional aid organizations are active in the disaster zone, including Israel’s Magen sending 16 rescuers, Colombia’s non-Jewish aid group Yuval providing trained doctors, and Mexico’s Kadena delivering advanced equipment for locating trapped victims. The Venezuelan Jewish community is also supporting relief efforts both for their members and the wider population.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar highlighted the humanitarian nature of the mission, noting Israel’s commitment despite the absence of diplomatic relations with Venezuela. The Israeli team is led by Ambassador Yoed Magen, who grew up in Venezuela, and IDF Home Front Command Chief of Staff Brigadier General Elad Edri. The local Jewish community, including businessman Aryeh Cohen, son of Venezuela’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen, is preparing to host and assist the Israeli delegation, hoping this mission might mark a step toward improved relations between the two countries.

The Humanitarian Coalition plans a phased response: immediate medical aid, followed by equipment delivery and initial reconstruction, and eventually long-term projects for families who lost their homes. Rabbi Garmon expressed gratitude for the warm reception from Venezuelan residents, describing it as "philo-Semitism" or love for Israel worldwide, despite the tragic circumstances where most rescues have recovered bodies rather than survivors.