The Rubble in Venezuela vs. the Rubble in Gaza: When the Same Hands That Demolish Offer to Rebuild

Nicolas Maduro positioned himself as a close confidant to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, eventually succeeding him in 2013 (EBSCO). Maduro adopted many of his mentor’s beliefs. Most notably, the two men made known their disdain for American imperialism and Israeli terrorism in the Arab world. In 2009, Chavez severed ties with Israel, and in 2010, he famously condemned the state on national television (ADL). Similarly, Maduro referred to current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as a "scoundrel," labeling his motives as colonial rather than a religious war (TeleSur). Maduro continued the Bolivarian Revolution that Chavez began, a socialist movement aiming to reclaim Venezuela’s resources for the Venezuelan people, de-commodify basic necessities such as healthcare and food, and create a socialist democracy that meets the needs of the working class (The Tricontinental).

In the same way that Chavez became a target for US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Maduro was also targeted by current President Donald Trump. However, unlike Clinton and Bush, Trump succeeded in his mission on January 3rd, 2026, when American forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. After Maduro’s removal from office, his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, assumed power as the first female Venezuelan president. Although Rodriguez aligns with Maduro’s (and Chavez’s) principles of socialism and anti-Zionism, she conveniently eased Venezuelan relations with the United States, supplying them with millions of oil barrels during the first few months of her presidency. Based on Rodriguez’s recent decisions, it is easy to assume that the US accomplished its materialistic mission (i.e. accessing Venezuela’s rich oil reserves). However, their attack on Maduro has much deeper implications that extend beyond simply easing commercial relations. It opens a door for Israel to project soft power in a region that has historically rejected it, raising uncomfortable questions about whether humanitarian aid is being weaponized for political gain.

On the evening of June 24, 2026, two massive earthquakes shook the Venezuelan city of La Guaira. Currently, over 5,000 deaths have been reported, and over 10,000 people have been injured or left homeless (The Catholic Weekly). It is the largest earthquake the country has suffered in over a century, and many global humanitarian organizations are lending a helping hand. In particular, President Rodriguez welcomed a number of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and engineers to aid Venezuela in their recovery. Though some call Rodriguez’s overture to Israel a desperate measure, it is more so a calculated move. The pressures of a destroyed capital, further US intervention, and a grieving population pushed Rodriguez to betray long-standing Venezuelan political ideologies. After all, Venezuelan-Israeli ties only softened after Chavez and Maduro’s presidencies. Additionally, the IDF’s “humanitarian” motives for helping Venezuelans rebuild their homes become a tough pill to swallow when paralleled with the same units aiming their rifles at Palestinian women in their homes in Gaza. Their expertise in demolition is now being repackaged as humanitarian engineering in Caracas (The Jerusalem Post; Jacobin).

Documented from Gaza, the West Bank, and the rest of Palestine since October 2023, the IDF’s involvement in Venezuela’s disaster aftermath casts suspicion, especially considering Venezuela’s anti-Zionist history (Jacobin). When the same military that drops bombs and runs tanks through one region of the world repurposes themself to help another rebuild, it is difficult to separate the political reality of the situation from the “humanitarian” aid at hand. Ultimately, the question transcends borders and beliefs: in a world where humanitarianism is increasingly weaponized, can the act of rebuilding ever be separated from the politics of demolition?

References

"Death toll in Venezuela nears 5,000 as earthquake recovery intensifies." The Catholic Weekly, 17 July 2026, catholicweekly.com.au/death-toll-in-venezuela-nears-5000-as-earthquake-recovery-intensifies/.

"Delcy Rodríguez." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2014, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delcy_Rodríguez.

"Hugo Chavez: In His Own Words." ADL, 8 Sept. 2010, www.adl.org/resources/news/hugo-chavez-his-own-words-0.

"IDF mission to Venezuela focused in mapping buildings for demolition." The Jerusalem Post, 6 July 2026, www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-901623.

"The IDF’s Grotesque Practice of Ransacking Palestinian Homes Is Israeli Apartheid in Action." Jacobin, 22 Sept. 2021, jacobin.com/2021/09/idf-israel-palestine-home-raids-occupation-apartheid.

Instagram, uploaded by telesurenglish, 17 July 2026, www.instagram.com/reel/DK3ULflsR0l/.

"Nicólas Maduro Moros." EBSCO Research Starters, www.ebsco.com/research-starters/politics-and-government/nicolas-maduro-moros.

"The Tricontinental: Dossier No. 61 – Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution." The Tricontinental, thetricontinental.org/dossier-61-chavez/.