Police Confirm Eldar Dayan's Death, Two Childhood Friends Suspected of Murder

Three weeks after Eldar Dayan, a 22-year-old from Dimona, went missing, Israeli police confirmed that the body found near Highway 40 is his. The discovery followed extensive searches by the Sharon District Police, Petah Tikva station officers, Border Police fighters, and volunteers. The body was found close to the vehicle Dayan and his friends had been traveling in, along with clothing items identified as his. DNA testing at the National Forensic Medicine Center verified the identity through advanced genetic analysis.

The investigation revealed that Dayan had gone out on July 16 with two childhood friends to central Israel. They stayed at the Bella Hotel in Tel Aviv before moving to the Yarkon Park area, where a fight broke out with another group. After leaving the scene, the three arrived at a nearby Paz gas station early in the morning. A witness reported to police that a car with a shattered windshield and blood stains had arrived and was then abandoned at the station. The two friends initially arrested on suspicion of involvement in Dayan's disappearance gave conflicting statements and were also suspected of involvement in the fight and hitting a member of the other group with the car before fleeing.

Following the identification of Dayan's body, the suspicions against the two friends escalated to murder. The court extended their detention by six days as the investigation continues. The police released the recorded call from the gas station reporting the damaged vehicle and blood, which was the last known sign of Dayan alive. The case remains under active investigation as authorities seek to clarify the circumstances leading to Dayan's death.