Twelve-year-old boy drowns in Jordan River after falling from inflatable boat
A 12-year-old boy drowned on Sunday after falling from an inflatable boat in the Jordan River in northern Israel. Hebrew media identified the boy as Elhanan Karni, a student from the Haredi city of Modi'in Illit who was due to enter the eighth grade. The incident occurred near Yesod HaMa'ala in the Hula Valley. According to The Times of Israel, an extensive search operation was launched. Harel Levy, a paramedic with Magen David Adom, told Ynet that Karni had been spending the day by the river with his family and had entered the water in a small inflatable boat. Levy stated that the boy fell from the boat and his family lost sight of him. After more than an hour, he was located underwater. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene. In a separate incident in northern Israel, a 16-year-old boy died while rappelling in the Keshet Cave in the Galilee region. Reports indicate he was with his family when he fell approximately 30 metres. Due to the difficult terrain, rescue teams faced challenges reaching him, and medical personnel had to rappel down to the site. The boy was found unconscious and despite resuscitation efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the teenager has not been released.