Israeli health and environmental authorities have issued an urgent warning to hikers and visitors in northern Israel, advising against entering several major streams in the Galilee and Golan regions due to dangerous bacterial contamination.
The alert follows routine water quality tests conducted earlier this week on August 16-17, 2026, which revealed elevated concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria significantly exceeding the Health Ministry's recommended maximum threshold of 400 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water.
Authorities have identified the following locations as unsafe for water contact:
Banias Stream: the section near Kfar Salad Bridge.
Hatzbani Stream: from the Roman Bridge to the Rivers Meeting Promenade (where it enters the Jordan).
Jordan River: the stretch from Gesher Yosef to Gesher Arik, including Gesher Lahavot HaBashan, Gesher HaHamisha, Gesher HaPakak, Metzad Ateret, and Gesher HaDodot.
Hexagon Pool (Breichat HaMeshushim).
Nahal Gilbon.
Nahal Zaki.
Nahal Yehudiya: at Yehudiya Falls.
Nahal Tzalmon: at Breichat HaCharuv (Carob Pool).
Nahal Keziv: in the Ein Ziv and Ein Chardalit areas.
The Environmental Protection Ministry stated that no specific contamination source has yet been identified in these waterways.
Water quality monitoring is conducted routinely every two weeks by Nature and Parks Authority inspectors at fixed sampling points throughout the Galilee and Golan streams. Government officials emphasized that testing and monitoring will continue, with updates to be published as new findings emerge from the field.
