Five-Year-Old Boy Drowns Near Ashkelon Beach

A five-year-old boy drowned to death near Delila Beach in Ashkelon. The child, a resident of the Negev, was pulled from the water in critical condition, unconscious, and was taken to Barzilai Hospital in the city while resuscitation efforts were underway. Doctors later pronounced him dead.

Magen David Adom said the emergency call reached its 101 dispatch center in the Lachish region at 1:03 p.m. The report said a child had been pulled from the water unconscious near Delila Beach. Civilians on the beach had removed the boy from the sea before medics arrived.

Paramedics Steve Berman and Israel Lugasi, along with medic Itzik Elimelech, said they were nearby when they saw people bringing a child out of the water. According to them, he had no pulse and was not breathing, and bystanders were shouting for help.

The team said it immediately began life-saving treatment, including chest compressions, ventilation, and medication, and rushed him to the hospital in a mobile intensive care ambulance while continuing CPR. They said they were fighting to save his life, but he did not survive.