Woman Severely Injured by Motorboat Collision While Swimming in Sea of Galilee

A 32-year-old woman was seriously injured on Saturday while swimming near the Lido beach in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee after being struck by a motorboat. Magen David Adom paramedics treated her at the scene and evacuated her to Poriya Medical Center with severe leg injuries. The incident was reported at 13:34 to the emergency call center in the Jordan district. Paramedics Yair Erezi and Eyal Hadar, along with sea ambulance operator Eyal Landsman, responded promptly, finding the woman conscious but badly hurt. They provided immediate medical care and transferred her to an intensive care ambulance.

This accident is the latest in a series of boating incidents on the Sea of Galilee this summer. About a month ago, a boat capsized with seven passengers; all were rescued, with one man suffering moderate chest injuries. Earlier, two jet skis collided about 800 meters from shore, likely due to high speed. Another incident involved a boat fire in the northern part of the lake, where two passengers jumped into the water and were rescued by marine police officers.

These accidents come after Israeli police and the Sea of Galilee Cities Association announced a strict zero-tolerance policy this summer against reckless and dangerous behavior on the lake, including enforcing a new law banning boating under the influence of alcohol. Currently, there is no limit on the number of motorized vessels allowed on the lake simultaneously. Two years ago, Deputy Chief Superintendent Yigal Ben Lulu, then head of the Tiberias police station, advocated for setting a cap on motorboats, citing the lake’s limited size and the high number of jet skis, about 7,000 in Israel, most of which operate on the Sea of Galilee.

Contrasting this view, the Ministry of Transport is considering easing regulations by removing the requirement for a boating license to operate jet skis on the lake. Instead, operators would only need to pass an online theoretical exam to receive a two-year permit.