"Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, said that the Venezuelan military is not trained to kill or bomb people, adding that 'no true Christian can order bombing of children in Gaza.' According to local media reports, he also added that the 'colonial' mindset, which allows the bombing in Gaza, is directed against Venezuela through sanctions and a US naval blockade in the Caribbean. During his visit on Monday to the agro-productive commune 'For love and loyalty to Chavez' in Macarao, the head of state spoke out against the bombings in Gaza that have claimed the lives of thousands of children. "Our military is not soldiers trained and prepared to kill people, to conquer, to bomb," Maduro stated, while citing a song by Venezuelan singer Ali Primera titled 'It is not enough to pray'. "As the song by Ali Primera says: 'The pilot also prays when he boards the plane to bomb the children of Vietnam' - or the children of Iraq, Libya or Gaza. The pilot prays too, but it is the devil who hears that prayer," he added. Maduro pointed to four citizen consultation processes held throughout 2025, saying Venezuela deserves international recognition for its democratic system. "If anyone wanted to make an objective assessment of Venezuela, they would have to say that Venezuela deserves the 'world championship of elections and democracy' for the level of elections, participation and decision-making capacity of our people," he said. During the visit, Maduro formally launched the National Planting Plan, aiming to plant 10 million trees by 2026, in a bid to restore traditional, fruit and medicinal species and support a more productive Venezuela."