A Ports Authority vessel equipped with advanced scanning gear has joined the search for 4-year-old Yuval Kogan, missing since Thursday evening near Ashkelon beach. Transport Minister Miri Regev ordered the deployment, which will operate alongside emergency and rescue forces, according to Israeli media.
The search for Yuval Kogan, 4, who disappeared Thursday evening during a family outing near the Ashkelon beach, entered its second day on Friday with a new resource: a scanning ship from the Ports and Shipping Authority. Transport Minister Miri Regev instructed the deployment, and the vessel is expected to operate alongside police, rescue teams, and helicopters that have been scanning the area since early morning, as reported by Israel's Channel 12 and i24NEWS.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai (Danny Levy) arrived at the scene Friday morning and conducted a situational assessment, stating that 'a child does not just disappear in the State of Israel.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also visited the search zone and met with the boy's father, assuring him that police would 'turn every stone.' The father, Dima Kogan, has urged authorities to consider a criminal angle, saying 'a child cannot just vanish.'
As The Zioneer reported earlier Friday, President Isaac Herzog spoke with Yuval's mother Dina and reiterated his contact with security chiefs. The search continues with hundreds of personnel, including drone units and marine police, but no confirmed lead has emerged as of 14:55 Jerusalem.
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