The Israeli aid delegation - and the moving meeting between the doctor and her volunteer son
A medical delegation from Israel and discharged soldiers provided medical care and assistance to children in a distressed neighborhood in Panama City. The Foreign Minister of Panama and the local Minister of Health arrived to express their gratitude: "This is diplomacy that reaches people and improves the lives of the residents."
In the impoverished El Chorrillo neighborhood of Panama City, special guests from Israel landed this week. A senior delegation from Ichilov Hospital arrived in the country to provide medical care to the community at the neighborhood's local health center, in a gesture of solidarity and historical friendship between Israel and Panama. Each day of activity, the Israeli team treats about 200 patients. The delegation, an initiative of Israel's Ambassador to Panama, Matti Cohen, in cooperation with Ichilov-Aid, the Panamanian Ministry of Health, and the Office of the First Lady, stayed in the country for about a week and strengthened primary medicine in the area. The Israeli team also donated medical equipment and 200 pairs of eyeglasses to the neighborhood's residents.
Along with the doctors, another delegation has been operating in the city for two weeks: "Warriors Without Borders," young people after the army who, as part of their "big trip," choose to contribute to society and volunteer in schools where they teach children basic subjects and also renovate school facilities. Both delegations received significant media coverage in Panama and visits from senior government ministers: the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Health - evidence of the place the initiative holds on the country's public agenda. Mayer Mizrachi, the famous mayor of Panama City, an internet personality with a million followers, also arrived to greet the members of the Israeli delegation and thank them.
Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha warmly thanked the Israeli Embassy and the medical team and said:
"This is the diplomacy that President José Raúl Mulino wants and asks for: diplomacy that reaches people, that turns into solutions and improves the lives of Panamanians."
Special relations with Israel
Israel's Ambassador to Panama, Matti Cohen, said: "This mission is much more than medical aid - it is an expression of the friendship between Israel and Panama, and that the best diplomacy is that which is built from empathy, solidarity, and service that reaches human beings directly. We are proud and happy to carry out a mission that has such a positive impact on the health of Panama's residents. I thank the doctors of Ichilov Hospital who make a supreme effort to bring their expertise to places where there is no medical system as developed as in Israel."
Relations between Israel and Panama have always been very good. Panama is the only country in Latin America that does not recognize the Palestinian state - a fact that reflects the special and warm relationship between the two countries. These relations have only been tightening in recent months: in May 2026, President Isaac Herzog held a historic visit to Panama and Costa Rica, the first-ever official visit of an Israeli president to Central America. Following the visit, another delegation is planned for Panama - this time of experts from the Mekorot company, who will share unique Israeli knowledge and experience in the field of water with their Panamanian counterparts in light of the severe water crisis that Panama is in.
An integral part of Israel-Panama relations is the Panamanian Jewish community, a vibrant community of about 15,000 people, which serves as a living and significant bridge between the two countries and contributes greatly to the economic, social, and cultural life of the country. In Panama, there are 6 Jewish schools in different styles and active youth movements such as "Maccabi" and "Noar."
"Reaching every place in the world"
The Office of the First Lady of Panama added to the activity two medical vans equipped for mammograms, hearing tests, and other preventive services, which significantly expands the scope of treatment and allows reaching a larger number of patients. Dr. Ronit Almog, director of Ichilov-Aid and head of the delegation, said: "We reach every place in the world: in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, and bring the help that the local residents need. It is a mission of the first order for us to provide care to those who need it, and it is certainly a great honor for us to do so in the name of the State of Israel in a friendly country like Panama."
A central component of the days of activity is the joint work between the Israeli experts and the Panamanian doctors. In Panama, they are thirsty for Israeli expertise: every Israeli doctor in the delegation works alongside one or two Panamanian doctors in close work that allows for the exchange of knowledge - diagnostic and treatment techniques, clinical experience, and best practices accumulated in the Israeli health system. This cooperation, beyond the direct treatment of patients, is what creates the lasting value of the visit - a mark that remains in the health center long after the delegation returns home.
As mentioned, in parallel with the medical activity, a delegation of the "Warriors Without Borders" organization is operating in the same neighborhood and in two other distressed neighborhoods, consisting of 28 young men and women who, as part of their "big trip" after the army, volunteer in local schools, renovate facilities, and teach children basic subjects. Joining the volunteer team are teenagers from Jewish schools in Panama, who, together with the warriors, paint and renovate schools and clinics in the area - and along the way, also improve their Hebrew. Among the volunteers accompanying the medical team, on behalf of the "Warriors Without Borders" organization, is also Ido, a discharged paramedic - the son of Dr. Ronit Almog, the head of the delegation. The two have not met for almost half a year, since Ido went on a post-army trip to Latin America. This time they found themselves working together, each in their own role, mother Ronit as a doctor and son Ido as a paramedic, for the benefit of the same community in Panama City.
