Israeli Hiker Missing on Mount Olympus, Search Hampered by Weather

Search efforts for a 46-year-old Israeli man, Ami Yogev, who disappeared while hiking on Greece's Mount Olympus, have been suspended due to severe weather conditions. Rescue teams have been searching for days without finding any trace of Yogev. The operation, which continued late into Friday night, was halted Saturday morning as rain and snow, sub-zero temperatures, and difficult terrain made further searches too dangerous. Yogev's brother, Shlomi Yogev, is on-site with other family members, stating there are no new leads and the search will resume once the weather improves. The operation involves Greek rescue services and an Israeli team called "Magnus." A volunteer assisting the family noted that local rescuers described this as one of the most challenging searches they have faced in a decade.

Simultaneously, the family is attempting to reconstruct Yogev's last movements using digital data, having obtained a court order for information on his phone and services. They hope this will reveal his route in the hours before he vanished. The prolonged search is costly, and Yogev reportedly lacked travel insurance, prompting his family to launch a fundraising campaign to continue the operation, as the "Magnus" team's funding may soon run out. Yogev arrived in Greece the previous Tuesday with an open return ticket and began his hike on Sunday without appropriate gear for the challenging terrain. A local guide reportedly noticed an ankle injury and provided a bandage.

The last known contact with Yogev was around 4 PM on Sunday, when he sent a video from the mountain to an acquaintance in the U.S., stating he was descending and planned to sleep in his rented car. He never reached the vehicle, which was later found by police containing his laptop and music equipment. Rescuers and family are awaiting better weather to resume the mountain search, while digital data recovery efforts continue for potential new clues.