Held 496 days in a Maduro prison, Israeli hostage finally home

Harari’s release appears tied to a wider wave of prisoner and detainee releases underway in Venezuela amid dramatic political upheaval.

By Shmuli Volkin, Jewish Breaking News

Yaakov Harari, a 72-year-old Israeli-Argentine citizen, is back on Israeli soil after being freed from Venezuela’s El Rodeo I prison, where he was held for 496 days on allegations he was a “mercenary,” according to Israeli media.

In a call shortly after Harari landed, the Prime Minister’s Office said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with him and also with his daughters, Yael and Yaara, who thanked Israel, the Jewish community in Caracas, and Israeli emissaries for what they described as relentless efforts to bring their father home.

The PMO said Netanyahu praised the Foreign Ministry, the Mossad, and Israel’s hostage-and-missing coordinator Gal Hirsch, and thanked the U.S. administration as well as the governments of Germany, Austria, and Italy for assistance during the process.

Harari’s release appears tied to a wider wave of prisoner and detainee releases underway in Venezuela amid dramatic political upheaval, with human-rights groups and foreign governments tracking dozens of foreign nationals still held.

For Israel, the operation underscored a simple message: even when formal diplomatic channels are limited, Jerusalem will move mountains to bring its people home—especially from regimes that use detention as leverage and intimidation.

Venezuela severed relations with Israel in 2009, complicating traditional consular pathways and making third-party assistance and backchannels far more critical.