Israeli Health Ministry Warns Against Swimming in Northern Rivers Due to High Bacterial Levels

The Israeli Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued an urgent warning on August 18, 2026, advising the public and local authorities against entering several key rivers in northern Israel. This alert follows routine water tests conducted on August 16 and 17, which revealed dangerously high levels of fecal coliform bacteria far exceeding the Health Ministry's maximum threshold of 400 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water.

The affected sites include the Banias River near the Kfar Szold bridge, the Hasbani River from the Roman bridge to the confluence promenade leading to the Jordan River, and the Jordan River stretch from the Joseph Bridge to the Arik Bridge, including several other bridges such as Lehavot Bashan and the Five Bridge. Additional contaminated locations are the Hexagon Pool, Gilabon Stream, Zaki Stream, Yehudiya Stream at Yehudiya Falls, Tzalmon Stream at the Haruv Pool, and the Kziv Stream near Ein Ziv and Ein Hardalit.

Officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection stated that no specific source of pollution has yet been identified in these waterways. The water quality tests are part of a biweekly routine conducted by inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority at fixed points across the Galilee and Golan streams. Government ministries emphasized that monitoring and sampling will continue, with further updates to be issued based on ongoing findings.