From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Israel extends stay of Venezuela aid team, as quake death toll passes 3,800
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Israel is extending the stay of aid teams in Venezuela following last month’s catastrophic earthquakes, in which at least 3,811 people have been confirmed dead and tens of thousands have been missing for over two weeks.
The delegation had been expected to return to Israel on Sunday.
The IDF and the Foreign Ministry say in a joint statement that the extension comes at the request of Caracas and at the instruction of the government.
The statement says additional Home Front Command officials departed Israel yesterday and will land today in the South American country to continue the rehabilitation efforts.
The Israeli team is assisting with engineering assessments of damaged buildings rather than search-and-rescue operations, the head of the team said this week.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.