A man traveling from Ashdod to Ashkelon on horseback said he made a wrong turn at Nitzanim beach and found the missing child sitting under a tree. He described the discovery as a great miracle.
A volunteer rescuer on horseback provided a detailed account of the discovery of 4-year-old Yuval Kogan near Nitzanim beach Friday afternoon, describing how a wrong turn led him to the child. The man, traveling from Ashdod to Ashkelon, said he mistakenly turned at the beach and found the boy sitting under a tree. 'It was a great miracle,' he told reporters at 16:27 Jerusalem, shortly after the child was located. The search and rescue effort unfolded rapidly earlier Friday. At 14:56 Jerusalem, the Israel Prison Service activated the Tzur unit — responsible for supervising sex offenders — alongside drone teams, district units, and special forces. Within minutes, rescue services announced the child was found safe and healthy at a beach in Ashkelon. A United Hatzalah volunteer then reported spotting the child standing under a tree, dehydrated but conscious and in good condition. The sequence of updates was published concurrently at 14:56 Jerusalem, reflecting the swift coordination among multiple agencies. Earlier Friday morning, the child's mother appealed for help, telling N12 at 07:55 Jerusalem that her son disappeared while on a dune with his father. She described him as mature and urged the public to consider unconventional search areas. The circumstance of how Yuval Kogan ended up at Nitzanim beach, several kilometers from the dune, remain under investigation. The child is in stable condition, according to medical officials.
9 developments
- DevelopingPresident Herzog speaks with mother of missing child, calls for help in search
- StrongVolunteer who found missing child Yuval Kogan: 'He was in a place where no living soul could survive'
- DevelopingNetanyahu congratulates on safe return of Yuval Kogan, cites 'mutual responsibility'
- DevelopingFather of missing Ashkelon child tells Ben Gvir 'something fishy'; minister says he will meet Shin Bet chief
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