Israel responded positively to requests by Guatemala, Honduras and Panama who applied for humanitarian aid in wake of the severe damage caused by Hurricane ETA that hit Central America.
Hurricane Eta, a Category 4 hurricane that killed at least 178 people and left hundreds missing, caused severe damage to the countries of the region, to the road infrastructure and agriculture, and left thousands of refugees in its wake.
This is a disaster of a magnitude the region has not known since Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
Israeli Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras Mattanya Cohen stated that “Israel does not forget its allies and certainly not in times of crisis.”
He visited the city of Puerto Barrios in eastern Guatemala, an area severely damaged by the storm, and distributed humanitarian aid equipment including first aid kits, dry food, water, hygiene products, blankets and other essentials donated by Israel.
In Honduras, where more than 1,000 families lost their homes, representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Cooperation in Tegucigalpa distributed hundreds of packages of clothing and tools to families of hurricane victims in the San Pedro Sola area.
Israel’s Ambassador to Panama Rada Mansour attended a ceremony during which he provided a donation of 10 tons of packaged food, milk powder and Corona protective gear.
Mansour noted that “this donation symbolizes the closeness of the two countries. It is very important for us to support our sisters and our brothers in Panama at a time when many families have been harmed.”