The Interior Ministry announced plans to open beaches throughout the country on Monday as temperatures begin to rise.
In a statement released on Sunday, the ministry announced plans to staff 140 sites with lifeguards, including 93 along the Mediterranean, 27 on the Sea of Galilee, 16 on the Dead Sea and four along the Red Sea.
Israel formally closes public beaches on an annual basis, opening them up during the dry season.
In an effort to improve public safety, the Interior Ministry launched a PR campaign this year to warn would-be swimmers of the perils of swimming at public beaches without the presence of a lifeguard.
The campaign — conducted in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Amharic — was broadcast on the Internet, television and radio.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
The ministry estimated that 90 percent of drownings occurred during the absence of a lifeguard or other emergency personnel; when swimming was forbidden; or when a swimmer was intoxicated.
The majority of drowning victims were men, ministry data shows.
The Interior Ministry has urged beach patrons to be cautious, to obey safety signs and the orders of emergency personnel.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
