Israeli search-and-rescue team joins Colombia earthquake relief

A delegation of about 80 Israeli rescuers, engineers and technology specialists landed in Cali, Colombia, on 14 August 2026 to help after a powerful earthquake. The magnitude 7.4 quake struck western Colombia at 7:34 a.m. on 10 August, with its epicentre in the Choco region. Colombian authorities reported about 285 dead, some 4,000 injured and around 400 missing in the first days.

Colombia's president asked only four countries for rescue teams: the United States, Ecuador, El Salvador and Israel. The Israeli mission was led by the Home Front Command's national rescue unit, under its commander Brigadier General Yossi Pinto, and worked with Israel's defence and foreign ministries. Israeli officials named the mission the Alliance of Brothers (some reports translated it as Alliance of Friends).

Once on the ground, the team worked at two major disaster sites alongside Colombian emergency workers and volunteers. One site had two collapsed six-storey buildings, and the team searched the rubble for people who might still be alive. Its engineers inspected damaged buildings to judge whether they were safe. They also advised staff at a damaged university hospital on removing debris so that rescue work could go on and a damaged wing could be restored. Israeli specialists helped Colombian authorities set up a system to collect information about the disaster and decide which tasks to handle first.

Israel's rescue unit has become one of the most experienced in the world, with deployments after earthquakes in Haiti, Nepal, Mexico and Turkey, and after the 2021 building collapse in Surfside, Florida. It holds the United Nations' top rating for urban search and rescue teams. Earlier in 2026 a smaller Israeli team, including civilian aid groups, also helped in Venezuela after twin earthquakes.