Police Continue Search for Missing Dimona Youth Eldar Dayan Amid Ongoing Investigation

Israeli police believe Eldar Yitzhak Dayan, a young man from Dimona missing since last weekend, is still alive and deliberately hiding after being involved in a violent incident. The investigation began on July 18 following a report to emergency services about three suspects removing a license plate from a damaged vehicle that had bloodstains on its windshield. Police found the vehicle in Petah Tikva, collected forensic evidence including fingerprints and blood samples, and reviewed security footage showing three youths, including Dayan, leaving the car and entering a gas station before departing.

Initial police theories included injury, hit-and-run, or other criminal activity, but hospital checks confirmed no victims arrived from the scene. The car owner, a Dimona resident, identified her son as the vehicle’s owner. After locating him by phone, he was summoned for questioning and later arrested as a suspect. On July 25, a missing person report was filed for Eldar Dayan, linking the vehicle case and the violent event to his disappearance. Two of Dayan’s friends from Dimona were also arrested; police believe all three were involved in a fight near the Yarkon area among acquaintances, though the exact circumstances remain under investigation.

Police continue to gather testimonies, noting some involved parties are uncooperative. The Petah Tikva station leads the criminal investigation, while the Southern District police conduct the search for Dayan, who is thought to be evading capture by hiding locally. Forensic analysis is ongoing to clarify the events of that night. Recently, jurisdictional disputes arose between the Southern and Central Districts, resolved by assigning Dimona station responsibility for the search and Petah Tikva station for the criminal case.