An Israeli swimmer was reportedly bitten by a shark at Olga Beach near Hadera, Israeli media reported on Monday, though the wounded swimmer has still not been located. Witnesses at the beach said they saw blood in the water and someone screaming for help.
According to the Nature and Parks Authority, the attack occurred in an area where swimming is prohibited.
Magen David Adom (MDA) medics, police officers, and Nature and Parks Authority inspectors were dispatched to the scene and are searching the area for the swimmer.
An MDA paramedic told Maariv, “So far, nothing has been found; the search continues.” Shortly afterward, a Ynet report said that equipment possibly belonging to the victim had been found, including a bicycle and a bag.
Israel Police announced the closure of the beach to the public until further notice, reporting that the incident is being handled by the authorities. “A short time ago, police officers from the Hadera station were dispatched following a report from citizens who claimed to have seen a shark attacking a diver in the water.
We will continue to update according to developments. We call on the public traveling in the area to avoid entering the water and coming into contact with the sharks,” they stated.
The Hadera Municipality’s Coastal Division also announced that they are conducting searches to locate the diver.
Shark incident in Hadera was "a rare event"
Sharks, which are found in the area every winter, “have apparently reached the Caesarea and Hadera areas following a fish mortality event at the mouth of the Alexander River,” said Itamar Avishai, scientific director of the Israeli non-profit organization EcoOcean.
להכניס את האבא הזה לכלא pic.twitter.com/pEftWhBArr
— Lior Berkovic (@lior_berkovic98) April 21, 2025
Several sharks were also seen close to the river during Passover.
“It is important to note that such a case as occurred in Hadera is rare, even on a global scale. Sharks are not [naturally] aggressive toward humans; there is really no reason to be afraid of them, but it is important to remember that this is a wild animal in its natural environment, and provoking a shark may cause it to defend itself,” Avishai said.
“In general, there is no reason for a shark to attack you, unless you approach it, grab its tail or fins, or disturb it in some way... A shark is a large animal that you should not approach,” he added.
במו עיניי: פאקינג כרישים 4-5 מטר ממני בחוף בית ינאי. מ-ט-ו-ר-ף pic.twitter.com/y3kVF6hm2p
— Daniel Zilberstein (@danzilb) April 16, 2025
In January, a finless shark was found dead on the beach in Hadera. At that time, inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority arrived on the scene and collected the shark for an autopsy.
In February, a pregnant female shark washed ashore at Olga Beach. Four fetuses were removed from her dead body and brought to a seawater tank, but attempts to save them were unsuccessful.
The circumstances of her death were unclear. Since December, three sharks have been washed ashore, two of them pregnant.
Ziv Reinstein contributed to this report.