Israeli Aid Groups Begin Relief Work in Venezuela Despite No Diplomatic Ties

Four Israeli international relief and development organizations began responding to the major earthquake in Venezuela through local partners, regional teams, and dual-citizen staff, even though Israel and Venezuela do not maintain diplomatic relations. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry and the health system are preparing for the possibility of sending an official Israeli aid delegation.

The organizations involved are Nathan, IsraAID, SmartAID and JDC. Nathan, described as a global aid group, is sending an initial team of doctors and psychosocial support specialists to assess needs on the ground and determine the scale of further assistance. IsraAID is dispatching an emergency team made up of disaster-response experts and staff from its ongoing mission in Colombia, focusing on needs assessments, mental health support, psychological first aid, and water, sanitation and hygiene work.

SmartAID has already begun operating through its partners in Venezuela, assessing needs and preparing to deliver equipment and essential assistance to affected residents. JDC is working with Venezuela’s Jewish community and is already providing food, water, medicine and shelter. It is also preparing to send its emergency team to the country once Caracas airport reopens, to expand aid both to the Jewish community and to the wider population.

Leah Luvian Yaffe, head of humanitarian aid at Sid Israel, the umbrella body for the Israeli international aid and development organizations, said the rapid response was the result of years of preparation. “In emergencies, the ability to respond quickly is the result of years of preparation, partnerships and presence in the field,” she said, adding that even without diplomatic ties, Israeli aid groups can rely on long-built professional networks, local teams and regional experts to begin helping within hours of a disaster.