Jackal Attack at Sea of Galilee Camp Injures 11, Including 12-Year-Old Girl

A pack of jackals attacked vacationers at the Sea of Galilee, leaving 11 people injured and taken for treatment to the North Medical Center in Tiberias. The incident happened overnight at a glamping site, where guests were staying in air-conditioned tents. Among the injured was 12-year-old Alis, whose face was scratched and bitten while she slept.

Mira Ganin, 60, from Rishon LeZion, said she arrived for a family holiday with nine relatives. She said she woke at 2:10 a.m. to her granddaughter’s screams and saw an animal leaving the family tent. At first she thought it was a cat, but after turning on the light, the family saw that the girl’s face was covered in scratches and bite marks. “We started washing her face,” Ganin said, adding that the campsite staff told them there had been a jackal attack on several guests.

Ganin said that while they waited for Magen David Adom, more people came out of other tents screaming that they had been attacked, bitten, and scratched. She said doctors later confirmed the injuries were not just scratches, but actual bites to the face and hands, and that all of the injured were evacuated to hospitals. “The outing turned into a terrible nightmare, like a horror film,” she said.

According to the hospital, 11 patients were treated in the past hours after jackal bites, including three minors. All received the required vaccinations and were discharged except for one patient who arrived later from another beach. The girl was stitched up and will need additional cosmetic treatment. She also began rabies treatment, which her family said will continue through the Health Ministry. Ganin noted that in a month the girl is due to celebrate her bat mitzvah, and in a few days she has a school graduation ceremony, but her face remains scratched. Dr. Noa Shaham Hadari urged anyone bitten, scratched, or closely exposed to a wild animal to seek immediate medical care and vaccination, and warned the public to avoid contact with stray or wild animals.