The shark spotted on the beach in Ashdod that caused panic leading to the closure of beaches is a whale shark, which is not dangerous to humans. This is the first time this species of shark has been observed on Israel's Mediterranean coast. Dr. Aviad Sheinin from the Maurice Kahn Marine Research Station at the University of Haifa's Charney School of Marine Sciences, who examined the footage, determined: "This is the first sighting of its kind of a whale shark on Israel's Mediterranean coast, and the third documented instance in the entire Mediterranean Sea."