Coyote Attacks Reported at Sea of Galilee Beach a Day After Earlier Incident

At least two coyote approach attempts were reported Saturday evening at Duga Beach on the Sea of Galilee, one day after a separate incident in the area in which nine people were hurt. No one was injured in the latest encounters. The animals reportedly tried to get close to visitors and bared their teeth, and the case was passed to inspectors from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, who were dispatched to the scene.

The Duga Beach episode came about 24 hours after a nighttime attack on the Sea of Galilee, during which nine people were injured by coyotes at a nearby beach. Seven of the wounded were taken to the Northern Medical Center in Poriya with bite marks.

One victim's mother told N12 that the attack happened suddenly while the group was sitting outside. “We were all sitting outside and suddenly, without warning, the coyote came at her. We do not understand at all how this happened,” she said. She added, “I heard her screaming in pain. I ran immediately to see what happened, and I saw that her whole face was covered in blood. It was just terrible.”

The unusual attacks come amid a series of alarming Health Ministry reports since the start of 2026, indicating a major rabies spread in northern Israel. Since the beginning of the year, at least 16 infected-animal sightings have been documented in the north. In recent months, rabid coyotes were found near the Sea of Galilee shoreline and in the Jordan Valley, including Kibbutz Degania Bet, Kibbutz Ashdot Ya'akov Meuhad, and Moshav Menahamiya, as well as in Moshav Arbel, Rosh Pina, Kadita, Ein Dor, agricultural areas in the Upper Galilee near Ghajar, Neot Mordechai and Shamir, and communities in the Valley of Springs, including Neve Ur, Sde Eliyahu and Moshav Yardenna.

The Health Ministry says anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should immediately wash the area with soap and water and urgently go to the nearest health office for life-saving preventive treatment.