After 12 days of intensive operations in earthquake-hit Colombia, the Israel Defense Forces’ “Alliance of Brothers” delegation has returned home.
The approximately 80-member team, led by the Home Front Command in cooperation with the Defense and Foreign ministries, arrived in Colombia after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake devastated parts of the country. Working alongside Colombian authorities, local rescue forces, and international organizations, the delegation operated at several major destruction sites in Cali.
Together, the teams located and rescued 29 missing people.
At a ceremony marking the delegation’s return, Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Kelper said there were no missing people left in Cali.
The mission was the latest demonstration of Israel’s commitment to showing up to help those in need, anywhere in the world.
Israeli Home Front Command rescuers during the farewell ceremony in Colombia. Photo: IDF Spokesman
The delegation’s work extended beyond search and rescue. Israeli engineers helped map and classify damaged structures, build a clearer picture of the destruction, and prepare Colombian professionals for the difficult reconstruction phase ahead. The team transferred knowledge and practical tools developed through Israel’s own experience with war, terrorism, earthquakes, and other mass-casualty emergencies.
“This is the Israeli spirit,” said Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Pinto, the mission’s commander. “The willingness to leave everything in an instant, to cross the world, to stand at the front and say: We are here, ready for any mission.”
The timing carries an added significance. Colombia’s newly-elect President Abelardo de la Espriella, has openly pledged to restore the country’s historic alliance with Israel and renew diplomatic relations severed under outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
While Petro spent his final months attacking Israel, the Israeli rescue delegation was working shoulder-to-shoulder with Colombians in the rubble. That contrast is difficult to miss.
Governments may change, but Israel’s commitment is consistent. When disaster strikes, the Jewish state does not wait for applause or political convenience. It sends doctors, engineers, rescuers, and soldiers trained to save lives. Anywhere. No matter the diplomatic tensions. Life comes first.
The “Alliance of Brothers” has now returned to Israel. But its message remains in Colombia: Israel stands ready to help its friends—and to lend a hand wherever human beings are trapped, missing, or in need.
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