ZAKA volunteers Noam Simhi and Netanel Biton visited the family home of four year old Yuval Kogan on Saturday, closing a emotional cycle after locating the young boy following a frantic 24 hour search along the southern coastline. The reunion provided the family their first opportunity to personally thank the rescuers who returned their son safely.
Yuval disappeared on Thursday near Hofit Beach in Ashkelon, triggering an intensive search operation across air, sea, and land assets involving Israel Police, ZAKA volunteers, and emergency service teams. Rescuers located the boy nearly 24 hours later near Nitzanim Beach, approximately five kilometers from where he was last seen.
During the home visit, volunteers presented Yuval with gifts, including a water gun, a bucket for sand, and a wristwatch. Noam Simhi addressed the boy warmly during the meeting, saying, "You are a hero of the people of Israel, you did something that hasn't been done here in many years, you united the people of Israel, what nobody in the Knesset managed to do, you are the king of the world."
The father, Dima Kogan, used the gathering to address online speculation and clarify the circumstances surrounding his son's disappearance. "The child says he did not meet people and nobody took him," Dima stated, adding, "He simply walked until he got tired and reached the same place where he was found, and there he stayed."
Dima shared details of the family's frantic efforts during the search, noting that he ran north along the coast while Yuval's young sisters, aged 8 and 10, actively joined the search. Concluding the meeting, the father issued a public message to parents, warning, "This can happen to anyone, so be alert and pay attention to the children."
The search ended when Simhi, a Breslov Hasid from Ashdod searching on horseback, inadvertently took a wrong turn and discovered Yuval resting under a tree. According to statement details released by law enforcement representatives to Reuters, police investigators conducted a thorough inquiry into all potential scenarios before ruling out foul play.
