Efforts to locate 17-year-old Avraham Yeshayahu Spiegel, who went missing Friday at Sanz Beach in Netanya, reached a critical stage on Tuesday. With calmer sea conditions, rescue teams have expanded their search radius northward and intensified underwater dives.
According to ZAKA, search teams worked through the night with reinforced manpower. The operation has seen a unique collaboration between professional rescue units and volunteers:
- The Command Post: A local situation room was established to manage foot patrols along the shoreline, assisted by Spiegel's classmates from the "Tifrach" Yeshiva.
- Sector Division: Following a joint assessment this morning, the Maritime Police and the elite "Lehava" Fire and Rescue unit are focusing on Sanz Beach and areas to the south. Meanwhile, ZAKA special units have taken responsibility for the northern sector, specifically around Blue Bay Beach.
Exploiting Calmer Seas
The fifth day of the search brought a "relative calm" to the Mediterranean, providing a tactical window for search teams:
- Deep-Sea Dives: Divers are now able to penetrate deeper waters and perform meticulous sweeps between underwater rock formations, where it is feared the teen may have been trapped.
- Aerial Surveillance: ZAKA’s drone unit is utilizing advanced thermal and motion-sensing technology to spot anomalies in the water that were previously obscured by high waves.
- Technological Reinforcements: Dozens of volunteers are operating alongside high-tech equipment, combining motorized coastal sweeps with manual searches.
ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern, overseeing the scene, noted that the current conditions allow for "a significant deepening of the search in complex areas." Haim Otmazgin, Commander of ZAKA Special Units, reinforced the commitment to the mission: "We are focusing on deep-sea scans and rocky crevices... we will not stop until the missing boy is found."
