Local Delivery Worker Rescues Child Trapped in Abandoned Car in Hot Negev Town

A potentially tragic incident was averted Thursday afternoon in Netivot, southern Israel, when a child was found trapped inside an abandoned car during the peak heat hours. A local delivery worker noticed the sweating child struggling unsuccessfully to open the car doors and intervened to rescue him. The vehicle was an unused, uninsured, and unregistered abandoned car. It remains unclear how the child entered the car or how long he had been inside before being discovered.

Upon rescue, the child appeared dehydrated and overheated, highlighting the dangers of children being trapped in closed vehicles during hot weather. Experts warn that temperatures inside closed cars can reach up to 70 degrees Celsius within half an hour, even if outside temperatures are around 30 degrees. This risk is especially severe for young children, whose bodies heat up faster and who cannot free themselves.

The incident underscores the ongoing risks posed by abandoned vehicles left accessible to children, particularly in summer. According to the Israeli child safety organization Beterem, 23 children have died and 53 were injured in the past five years due to being forgotten or trapped in cars. Both Beterem and the ZAKA rescue organization urge parents never to leave children unattended in vehicles, even briefly, and recommend careful attention when exiting cars to ensure all children are accounted for.

Authorities also emphasize the importance of securing or removing abandoned cars from residential areas to prevent similar dangerous situations in the future. Fortunately, this event ended without physical harm to the child, but it serves as a stark reminder of the life-threatening risks involved.