A man is missing and feared dead after being swept away on Monday by strong floodwaters in the Judean Desert, as severe winter storms brought heavy rain, flooding and road closures across Israel.
The man was last seen trying to free a vehicle stuck in a flooded section of Nahal Meitar, a usually dry streambed near the Dead Sea. Witnesses reported he was pulled into the current and disappeared. Rescue teams from the Etzion-Yehuda search-and-rescue unit, police from the West Bank district, and firefighters began a large-scale search operation, using drones to scan the area. As night falls, authorities say there is grave concern for the man’s life.
Man swept away with vehicle in flash flood in Nahal Meitar
(Video: Police)
The incident came as the country was hit by one of the season’s most intense storms, which began Friday and continued through Monday. Heavy rains caused street flooding and damage in several cities. In Tel Aviv, a man in his 60s was seriously injured when a balcony collapsed on him. He was taken to Ichilov Hospital with multiple injuries.
Emergency services responded to numerous incidents throughout the day, including cars stranded in deep puddles, flooded homes, and fallen trees. In Herzliya, a tree collapsed on a moving vehicle, though the driver was unharmed. Four people were rescued after their off-road vehicle sank in mud near Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley. Another person was trapped in a flooded vehicle near the Binyamin region and safely extracted.
On Herzl Street in Tel Aviv, a man in his 60s was seriously injured when a balcony collapsed. Paramedic Smikha Simandoyev and medic Shimon Peresh said the man was lying on the sidewalk near the building, conscious but with a glazed expression, surrounded by fallen concrete. He suffered multiple injuries and was taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv
Balcony collapsed in Tel Aviv
The storm brought over 100 millimeters (nearly 4 inches) of rain to parts of the country, with the highest totals recorded in Neve Tzuf in the West Bank, followed by Karnei Shomron, Tzur Hadassah, and Tel Aviv. Authorities issued a warning Monday morning for central Israel, warning of 50–75 millimeters of rain within hours.
Rescue in Jezreel Valley
(Video: fire and rescue services)
Major roads were closed due to flooding, including sections of Route 90 near Ein Gedi, Route 234 near the Tze’elim Bridge, Route 2499 in the southern Dead Sea area, and parts of Route 4 and Route 227. Traffic backups were reported on multiple highways in the central region.
The storm, which also brought snow to Mount Hermon and wind gusts of up to 100 kph, is expected to weaken by evening. Light rain may continue Tuesday, with another round of heavier showers forecast for Thursday, including possible thunderstorms and additional flooding in low-lying areas.