2 Palestinian brothers drown while swimming at Tel Aviv beach

Siblings in their 40s, reportedly from Ramallah area, die in accident in southern part of city; 3rd brother is rescued from water, survives

Two Palestinian brothers from the West Bank drowned on Friday night while swimming at a Tel Aviv beach.

Ziyad and Ra’ad al-Amwassi, who were in their 40s, were treated by Magen David Adom medical personnel at the scene of the drowning in the southern part of the city, but declared dead at the scene.

A third brother in his thirties nearly drowned in the same incident, but was rescued and was in good condition.

Tomer Gusman, one of the paramedics who responded to the scene, said, “When we got there we saw a lot of people, there was a commotion, and we were signaled to come to the waterline. Only a few minutes later, some civilians pulled from the water a man, around 40, unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse.

“We administered medical treatment and carried out advanced life-saving and resuscitation efforts but at the end we were forced to declare his death.”

שני הגברים שטבעו למוות בת"א הם האחים ראאד וזיאד אל אמוואסי, כבני 40 מביתוניה. האדם השלישי שטבע אך חולץ בשלום הוא אחיהם@daniel_elazar https://t.co/xgzmDyzqXg pic.twitter.com/zny5UUxkco

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 28, 2020

Maritime police units assisted in the search for the second drowning victim, who was found shortly after.

The third brother, who survived, told first responders that the three of them had come to the water to enjoy themselves.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the drowning happened, or how the brothers entered Israel.

MDA reported the incident shortly after 9 p.m., and video and photos from the scene showed that it was dark, windy, and the sea was rough.

Southern Tel Aviv borders the predominantly Arab city of Jaffa, which is a popular tourist destination for visitors from the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/tkP32LSy-U4CTA3JQ

Hebrew media said one of the brothers was 40, and the other 47, and that the family was from the Ramallah area.

Early Friday morning, a 45-year-old woman drowned at Zikim Beach, south of Ashkelon, MDA said.